Athletic training community outreach 2019-20
Posted: July 10, 2020
This year, the Athletic Training Student Association (ATSA) at A.T. Still University (ATSU) had a number of opportunities to assist the Phoenix metro through community outreach. ATSA continued their relationship with St. Mary’s Food Bank, helping pack boxes of non-perishable food items. St. Mary’s has been partnered with non-profit organizations to distribute food to homeless shelters, food pantries, and dining halls since 1967.
The ATSA also continued their partnership with the American Red Cross. Additionally, the ATSA is the official organizer for blood drives on ATSU’s Mesa, Arizona, campus. The Red Cross sponsors regular blood drives, occurring approximately every six to eight weeks. Although COVID-19 hindered our ability to continue these drives during the spring, ATSU still collected 109 units of blood over the academic year.
Second-year athletic training students participated in the Matter of Balance program in winter 2020. Athletic training students have participated in this program every year since its inception, and it continues to be a large part of the community outreach and interprofessional collaboration goals of the ATSA. Second year athletic training students were trained in the Matter of Balance curriculum and were then assigned to small groups with other ATSU students in the physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and occupational therapy programs. Over eight weeks, these interprofessional teams taught classes to older adults that included videos, discussions, and exercises to help prevent falls. This program was an extremely fulfilling community outreach event for all students involved.