In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, large numbers of people are out of work due to government restrictions, and those that are still working may see their roles changed to help fight the spread of the disease. Nationally, Gap, Inc. has started to make the shift from making clothing to using its resources to make personal protective equipment like masks, scrubs and gowns for health care workers. Anheuser-Busch has been using their flagship breweries in Baldwinsville, New York and Los Angeles, California to produce hand sanitizer to accommodate the massive demand across the country. 

While corporations globally are doing their part to make a difference in this tough time, locally in Decatur the Millikin Athletic Training staff is doing what they can to provide assistance. The athletic trainers at Millikin are contracted through Decatur Memorial Hospital (DMH), one of the two hospitals in the Decatur area. Of those providing assistance is Patrick Larry, MS, ATC, who has been an athletic trainer since 1997. 

Larry and other members of the athletic training staff have been lending a helping hand at DMH for over a month, as the demand for extra help has risen in the area. Much of the athletic training staff at DMH, including those who are assigned to Millikin, have been serving roles as greeters to the hospital and acted as security. Others have stepped into roles as room monitors to screen the proper PPE use of staff and have provided extra help in the Emergency Department. 

On top of the athletic training staff themselves helping where needed, Lindsay (Ippel) Douglass ‘08, Millikin Athletics Hall of Fame inductee and wife of Millikin Athletic Trainer Chris Douglass, MS, ATC, is an ICU nurse at DMH and stepped up into a role working directly with COVID-19 positive patients. This has led to the neighborhood in which the Douglass family lives, coming together and cheering Lindsay on before she goes into work at the hospital, much like they do in New York City for health care workers.

Though they are working in other roles outside of athletic training, the Millikin Athletic Training staff continues to do their duties with student-athletes. While many seasons have been cancelled due to the pandemic, there are still necessary tasks to be done with student-athletes as they are staying home. 

Larry says many of the students who have questions or need anything from their athletic trainers have been in direct contact with them, responding promptly to their trainers or reaching out directly. Because of the quarantine restrictions in place, there have been no physical rehabilitation treatments for student-athletes, but those that need care are being referred to treatment services near their homes. 

With rehabilitation services only seeing essential cases on site, many that are needing rehabilitation and treatments are doing so in coordination with their clinics and doing their treatments remotely. 

Julianna Vassallo, a freshman defensive specialist on the Women’s Volleyball team, has been doing just that back in her hometown of Sugar Grove, Illinois. Vassallo underwent surgery on her labrum and has required rehabilitation services to recover properly to be ready for the 2020 season next fall. Working with her physical therapist, Vassallo does her rehabilitation in the comfort of her home using pictures, diagrams, and meets with her physical therapist via FaceTime. 

While it’s certainly a change from doing traditional physical therapy at a clinic, Vassallo says doing the exercises at home has been fun, as she can find certain things around the house to use to make up for the equipment that would normally be used at a rehabilitation facility. 

As their roles have changed and the world of athletic trainers is evolving with the absence of sports in the United States right now, Millikin’s Athletic Training staff continue to serve those in need. 

Whether they’re on the sidelines at a game or on the front lines of a global pandemic, Millikin’s Athletic Trainers prove day in and day out that they are essential.