Founded by Clarence L. Shields Jr., M.D. in 1994, Team HEAL was developed as a direct result of the severely diminished statewide budget cuts to school sports programs. Before Team HEAL's inception, Dr. Shields was the practicing team doctor for the Los Angeles Rams. During this time, Dr. Shields had been volunteering his services as team doctor to local inner-city high schools as well. The community had suffered the tragic loss of one football player due to heart complications after a game, and Dr. Shields had been approached on numerous occasions by school coaches asking him to provide medical care and surgeries pro-bono for injured athletes. After performing several medical treatments for students free of charge, Dr. Shields decided something more must be done for these unprotected student athletes. At that point, The Team HEAL Foundation was born, and it has since touched the lives of over 20,000 students. The foundation has worked with several high schools since its founding, but now provides its services to the 2,500 student-athletes at Banning, Carson, Crenshaw, and Manual Arts High Schools. 
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