More students than ever are getting involved in high school athletics across North Carolina. Duke Health clinicians are bringing hospital-level sports medicine to the sidelines to help improve outcomes of injuries when every second matters.
The 2024-25 school year saw more than 212,000 student-athletes involved in sports across the state, according to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. It’s the highest number in over a decade.
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Dr. Harry Stafford, a Duke Health Sports Medicine Specialist and Primary Care Sports Medicine Doctor, said that with sports come injuries.
“If an athlete has a cardiac arrest, a spine injury or a fracture, or they’re just sick – we’re there to help intervene and possibly help save somebody’s life,” Stafford said.
The physician is heavily involved in research on how to improve long-term outcomes for athletes injured during play, especially head injuries.
“Immediate care is important,” Stafford said. “There are a lot of these injuries that can result in significant disability if you don’t intervene fast: getting the right splint on them, getting the right brace on them, getting them on the right medications, getting X-rays quickly. We’re able to facilitate and get all that done quickly because we’re there.”
Stafford and other physicians collectively spend an estimated 6,000 hours volunteering at both high school and collegiate sporting events year-round across Durham, Wake and Orange counties.
Despite their Duke blue attire, the medical teams aim to blend in with the hope that they won’t be needed.
Southern High School dual-athlete Jordan Dillon said having medical professionals nearby provides relief for both athletes and their families.
“It’s a relief because anything can happen at any moment,” Dillon said.
That support proved critical for Dillon, who tore multiple ligaments in his ankle last football season. With Duke clinicians coordinating imaging, treatment and rehabilitation, he returned to sports stronger than before.
“I was running outside and I was tackled wrong. Somebody rolled under me and I tore basically every ligament in my ankle,” said Dillon. “Without that help, you’re really on your own.”
When asked how he feels today, Dillon smiled: “110%. If anything, I’m better.”
Program proves impactful to high school students, staff
The partnership began at Jordan High School in the fall of 2002.
Brett Treco, the high school’s head athletic trainer, said the partnership has transformed what is possible for student-athletes.
“It’s unbelievable to think we have as much medical help as some college teams do,” Treco said. “It’s always a great relief to know we have extra hands on site, especially hands that are trained higher than what we can do as athletic trainers.”
Treco, who came to Jordan High School after working in New York, said the support allows for both streamlined care of the athlete and also for athletic trainers like himself to oversee more game play.
“When I was back in New York, there were a lot of times I was the only person for the entire football team,” he said. “While the injury happens, there’s still a game going on. If there was something that wasn’t as serious – I couldn’t let the field go. If something were to happen, such as a concussion, I still have to watch the field. I’d have to wait until halftime or the game to be over.”
On average, Treco said having Duke medical staff onsite allows for athletes that don’t require EMS transport to still be seen within 24 hours by the doctor of care.
Duke Sports Medicine Physical Therapist Jeffery Wakefield often works alongside Treco.
He described the program participants as ‘glue’ that helps guide families through what can be an overwhelming process and saves them unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
“It also allows us to manage things without potentially using the emergency rooms. We can direct things appropriately based off the severity of an injury,” said Wakefield. “I can see an athlete here get injured in the field and they get that continuity of care because I can connect them with the doctor, and we can make an appointment in an expeditious fashion.”
After an appointment, Wakefield and others can then continue to see the athlete return to play, communicating with the student’s doctor throughout the entire process.
Stafford added, “On top of it, we offer Saturday morning clinics. Anybody who got hurt Friday or during the week can come in and not have to miss school.”
The support for the athletes goes beyond physical.
Stafford shared the mental toll injuries take on student-athletes is greater than ever.
“With NIL, the transfer portal – all of these are pressures these young athletes are dealing with that they’ve never had to before,” Stafford said.
The physician said those pressures can cause athletes to try to push through pain to return to play faster, worsening injury. Having clinicians like himself on-site can prevent that from happening, making sure they are treating the whole body.
“Kids have the ability to change their lives coming out of high school with NIL and all of the money can get,” Stafford noted. “Here at Duke we have a program that’s holistic. Not only do we help the athlete when they’re injured, but we help them get back into the field too. From physical therapy all the way into the performance training, we put all of those facets together to make sure that athlete is completely healthy before putting them back out on the field.”
The clinicians all agree the need for programs like this will only continue to grow as the landscape around sports evolves and more students want a slice of the opportunity athletics can create.
Stafford additionally noted more programs means more research, and more answers.
“Continuing to do the hard work and research to look at these injuries to help prevent the next person — that’s really the thing we have to keep pushing the envelope on: figuring out why this is happening in the first place,” Stafford said.
As participation continues to climb across North Carolina, clinicians say the goal remains simple: be ready when athletes need them most — and hope they never do.
