Feb 1, 2021 Bound Brook High School Receives Safe Sports School Award

Bound Brook High School has been awarded the National Athletic Trainers’ Association “Safe Sports School” award for its Crusaders Athletics program. The award recognizes secondary school athletic training programs that create steps and processes to keep their student athletes safe.

Bound Brook School District has been an exclusive athletic training partner with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, since 2016.

“Bound Brook High School remains committed to keeping our student athletes safe during team practices and games so that they can accomplish their own goals of great competition, winning records, fair sportsmanship, and good health. Even with the challenges of COVID-19, our goal is to lead our athletes’ program to the highest safety standards for our players,” said Jamie Hand, MS, LAT, ATC, an athletic trainer with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, who serves as the athletic trainer for Bound Brook High School.

“We’d like to thank Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset for all of their support in supplying us with high quality athletic training support over the years,” said Jeff Steele, assistant principal/athletic director, Bound Brook School District. “As an athletic director, having a proactive and highly competent athletic trainer is crucial to our success. We look forward to our continued health care collaboration.”

In order to achieve Safe Sports School Programs, athletic programs are required to adhere to the following:

  • Create a comprehensive athletic health administrative system
  • Provide or coordinate pre- participation physical examinations
  • Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
  • Plan for selection, fit, function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
  • Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
  • Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions
  • Create and rehearse venue-specific Emergency Action Plans
  • Provide or facilitate psycho-social consultation and nutritional counseling/education
  • Educate athletes and parents about the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities

The award enforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention, and treatment. This is the second time Bound Brook High School has won this award, previously earning recognition in 2017.

Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries.

RWJBarnabas Health provides community-based outreach athletic training services to local secondary schools, colleges, professional athletes, performance artists, organizations and workplaces. Currently supporting 32 athletic training partnerships across the state, RWJBarnabas Health regional athletic trainers are based at Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and Monmouth Medical Center.

For more information on RWJBarnabas Health’s Athletic Training partnerships, visit www.rwjbh.org/AthleticTraining