Whether it’s on the field or on the playground, sometimes children get hurt. In a growing child, growth plates are open and are the weakest part of a child's skeleton. With student athletes, the risk of growth-plate injury is heightened due to intense training, but Shriners Children’s is here to reduce fear and answer questions while we care for children and their families. With the help of the growing sports medicine program, various Shriners Children’s locations work together to get kids back to the field as quickly and safely as possible.
An essential factor of this developing program is the work shared across locations. Currently, at Shriners Children’s New England, Ahmad Bayomy, M.D., had firsthand experience building the location’s sports medicine program. Now at Shriners Children’s Portland, Dr. Bayomy is excited to bring over new ideas. “We are looking to develop the program in Portland more broadly, including recruiting care team members in the hospital,” said Dr. Bayomy. “We are defining care processes for patients and establishing community partners involved in the care of recreational and competitive athletes, including sports psychologists and strength and conditioning coaches.”
With experience implementing a similar program in New England, Dr. Bayomy is working together with colleagues across the system in athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy and non-surgical sports medicine. Alongside Shriners Children’s Portland sports medicine specialists Jeremy Bauer, M.D., Krister Freese, M.D., Heather Kong, M.D., and Dominique Laron, M.D., Dr. Bayomy is eager to get the program up and running. The collective approach to patient care allows for the locations to grow the program together, empowering a strong team of individuals who are passionate about helping student athletes get back to the playing field.
Jonathan Reidy, LAT, ATC, works as manager of athletic training services at Shriners Children’s New England. Although thousands of miles away, Jonathan shares similar sentiments to his colleagues in Portland. A unique aspect of the program that Jonathan highlights is that it involves all members of the care team. “We involve the physician, physical therapist, athletic trainers and other members in our current process, which allows for many sets of eyes to review and discuss the results and how they impact the treatment plan,” Jonathan said.
The team also assesses what community resources are available and if any would benefit each individual. “Every family has their own unique needs, challenges and expectations. We have a lot more flexibility in how we deliver the care that they need,” Jonathan said.