The National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships are underway at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, bringing thousands of athletes, families, coaches and officials from around the country. The University of Kansas Health System has risen to the challenge of providing medical care for everyone involved.

            Dr. Vince Key, an orthopedic surgeon at The University of Kansas Health System, and head team physician for the Kansas City Royals, is leading a team of 80 health care professionals in caring for all those attending the event…essentially bringing the hospital to the track meet. In the video, Dr. Key describes everything the team is doing, and says most national meets don’t have anything like this level of medical coverage. He also explains why communicating with the parents is so important. He describes the types of injuries the team is treating. And he explains how this is the world’s largest youth track meet, and working with families from around the country for follow-up care can be a challenge.

            Doug Wiesner is the head athletic trainer at The Sports Medicine and Performance Center. He and his team are usually the first ones to see an injured athlete. In the video, he describes how reassuring it is to have someone from every sports-related area of medicine right there to consult and help with the care. He says they must be ready to treat athletes as young as six all the way to their late teens.

            The video also includes various athletes in different events.