The Jacksonville District 117 school board has approved a full-time athletic training contract with Springfield clinic to provide game and practice coverage for the district's varsity sports.
The district began looking for services after Passavant Area Hospital announced it would be discontinuing its services for Jacksonville and other area schools.
Superintendent Steve Ptacek said the agreement with Springfield Clinic will cover an athletic trainer for all varsity sport practices and home games, as well as away games for varsity football.
"We will be receiving more services than we have in the past," Ptacek said.
While Passavant has been providing coverage for games as someone was available, there was no guarantee that someone would be available to cover a game.
With Passavant discontinuing their program, Ptacek said the board agreed they needed to provide services for its athletes.
Ben McClain, a representative for Springfield Clinic, said having the athletic trainer available during practices and games will provide a quicker evaluation of injuries and concussion diagnosis.
Ptacek said the trainer will be available to all varsity sports, but there will be some prioritization based on concussion potential when practices and games overlap.
While Ptacek said the focus will be on helping with concussion management, the trainer will also evaluate other injuries and help with injury rehabilitation.
The board was originally discussing a part-time contract with Springfield Clinic that would provide coverage of just games, which was what was previously covered by Passavant.
The part-time contract would have cost the district $22,000 a year, while a full-time contract would cost $42,000.
Ptacek said the board voted on a full-time contract after Passavant pledged to give the district $21,000 each year for the next two years.
"Passavant decided to provide some financial support to allow us to increase our services for the next two years," Ptacek said.