What We Do
About Team HEAL
Team HEAL Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides full-time Certified Athletic Trainers to under-served public high school athletic programs. Team HEAL aims to protect the health and future of our student athletes by providing world class medical care. This includes injury prevention and treatment services, strength and conditioning, nutrition education, and exposure to careers in health related fields.
Currently, Team HEAL is located at the following schools:
Day-to-Day
Certified Athletic Trainers are on campus every day. They have been integrated into athletic programs at each Team HEAL high school.
The athletic trainers perform a variety of services, which include:
- Emergency coverage for practices and games
- Prevention of athletic injuries
- Evaluation of athletic injuries
- Treatment of athletic injuries
- Rehabilitation of athletic injuries
- Strength and conditioning
An Athletic Training Room is located at each high school which include equipment and supplies provided by Team HEAL Foundation, Inc.
Each athletic training room has:
- Treatment tables
- Theraputic modalities
- Rehabilitation equipment
- Taping supplies
- Ice machine
And Much More!
Pre-Season Physicals
Pre-Season Physical exams are a requirement for participation in high school athletics. Team HEAL’s crown jewel is our Annual Pre-Participation Physical Examination. It is here that the student-athletes from our identifying schools receive an exhaustive physical work-up free of charge! Students are seen by Team HEAL doctors to ensure that the highest quality treatment is given. Team HEAL has been successful in discovering life threatening conditions and pre-existing injuries that could have been career ending.
Physicals include a comprehensive exam in each of the following areas:
- Medical History
- Internal Medicine examination
- Orthopedic screening
- Cardiac evaluation
- Dental exam
- Vision screening
Visit our BLOG to see the Post-Examination Statistics from this year’s Physicals!
Education
Team HEAL has an interest in each student as a whole person, not just as an athlete. Participation in athletics is often the door to an exciting world of possibilities for young athletes growing up in under-served communities. Student-athletes learn valuable lessons about individual responsibility, discipline, and self-esteem.
Scholarship
As of 2008, thanks to our generous donors, Team HEAL began an academic endeavor that awards a college scholarship to those student-athletes who qualify from the following criteria.
- Participant in athletics at a participating Team HEAL school
- High School Senior in full-time status at a participating Team Heal school
- Cumulative G.P.A. minimum - 3.0
- Proof of Enrollment one of the following higher education institutions:
- Four-year accredited college
- Two-year community college
- Accredited Vocational School
ROP Program (Regional Occupation Program)
The Team HEAL Foundation believes it is responsible to prepare students life after their athletic careers, as well as during. Therefore, a section of the program, called The Regional Occupation Program (ROP), is dedicated towards exposing students to the vast career opportunities in the allied health fields.
Professions considered allied health professions include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Physician
- Athletic Trainer
- Nursing
- Physical Therapy
- Nutritionist
- Psychologist
- Pharmacy
- Radiology Technician
Click HERE to see a complete list of allied health professions!!!
The ROP courses are taught by Team HEAL’s own Certified Athletic Trainers. Teaching this course goes above and beyond the call of duty for the typical Certified Athletic Trainer. Practical sports medicine subjects such as: human anatomy, medical terminology, aspects of kinesiology, and nutrition are just some of the topics covered in the course.
With an average of twenty students per ROP class, I am constantly thinking of new ways to plan the curriculum in a way that will engage and challenge the students. – Vicki Lim, A.T.C.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. How do you become a Certified Athletic Trainer (A.T.C.)?
Individuals who want to become certified athletic trainers must earn a degree from an accredited athletic training curriculum that is accredited by CAATE (The governing agency that accredits athletic training programs). To become an A.T.C., students must pass a comprehensive test administered by the Board of Certification. Once certified, they must meet ongoing continuing education requirements in order to remain certified. To find out more, go to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) website.
2. What is the difference between a personal trainer and an athletic trainer?
An athletic trainer is someone who meets the qualifications set by the state regulatory board and/or the Board of Certification, Inc., and practices athletic training under the direction of a physician.
A personal trainer is someone who prescribes, monitors, and changes a person’s specific exercise program in a fitness or sport setting.
3. Are there athletic trainers in other Los Angeles area high schools?
With a few exceptions in the public high schools, there are no full-time athletic trainers. Private schools will have full-time athletic trainers, and at times more than one.
4. Can I sign up for an individual physical?
No, physicals are for our student-athletes within the Team HEAL program
5. What are the qualifications to become a Team HEAL school?
The baseline criterion for the program is an on-site designated athletic training room that fulfills the basic needs for sports medicine. Team HEAL High Schools are hand-selected based the level of involvement of the school’s administration, athletic department, and in some cases, the parents.
6. How do we become a Team HEAL school?
Please call us at (310) 645-8347 or e-mail the Team HEAL office for details.
