Berkeley County School District names MUSC Health its official sports medicine provider

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (Feb. 2, 2021) – MUSC Health Sports Medicine has been named the “Official Health Care Partner” in providing athletic training and sports medicine services for the Berkeley County School District (BCSD). This means that MUSC Health serves as BCSD’s complete physician, medical and athletic training support provider. The partnership includes the following schools:

• Berkeley High School
• Cane Bay High School
• Cross High School
• Goose Creek High School
• Phillip Simmons High School
• Stratford High School
• Timberland High School 

“Berkeley County School District is excited about the professional services that will be provided by MUSC Sports Medicine. MUSC Sports Medicine services brings a wealth of resources and expertise to provide the best services for our student athletes.  In addition, we believe this new partnership will provide a field of opportunities that will extend beyond athletics,” said Deon Jackson, BCSD Chief Administrative Officer – Pupil Services. “The MUSC Health sports medicine team shares our commitment to ensuring the continued health and wellness of our student athletes and we look forward to the enhanced connectivity to our state’s premier academic health sciences center.” 

Safety of students is a priority for Berkeley County School District leaders. Due to the nature of athletic competition, student athletes are at increased risk for sports related injury. Athletic trainers are essential to reducing injury and supporting continued safe competition among our student athletes. These professionals play vital roles in educating our students and staff to prevent sports related injury and assisting with the identification and treatment of injured student athletes. Athletic trainers are an invaluable resource to our staff, students, families, and communities.  

For each school, an MUSC Health athletic trainer provides daily onsite sports medicine coverage throughout the academic year, as well as physician coverage for all home varsity football games.  The partnership also extends to the summer months for off-season conditioning.  Injured or ill athletes and coaches will receive expedited access to the vast services provided by MUSC Health, as well as injury prevention education. 

The partnership also grants BCSD access to more comprehensive adjunctive services that are necessary to provide optimal care to athletes, such as MUSC Health’s Sports Concussion Program which includes a fully developed high school concussion policy, evidence-based and specific return to play protocols and expedited access to the only multidisciplinary pediatric concussion clinic in South Carolina. Ultimately, enhanced access to the MUSC Health System and specialty referral network means better connectivity to high-quality care, medical advances and clinical trials when needed.

“The opportunity to deliver care for BCSD student-athletes is in alignment with our efforts to protect and further nurture a baseline of high performance and excellent health for the community as a whole,” said MUSC Health Orthopedics chairman and surgeon Lee Leddy, M.D. “Our team is enthusiastic about providing these patient-centered services to our region’s student-athletes and being able to extend our comprehensive program into the Berkeley County community.” 

For more information about the MUSC Health Sports Medicine services, visit muschealth.org/sports. 

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About MUSC Health

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available, while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians’ practice plan, and nearly 325 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2020, for the sixth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

Founded in 1824, MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.