Keeping Sports Rehab Local
Boone County Hospital’s (BCH) Rehabilitation Services has taken big steps in recent years to provide quality sports medicine access for the athletes in Boone County. After staffing changes this past spring and summer, exciting changes continue to be expected. Between Boone High School, Ogden High School and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), student-athletes now have more options than ever to keep their quality care local.
Nearly 15 years ago, Jake Stotts, co-director of Rehab Services, wanted to become more involved with the local schools. He began providing game-day sports medicine assistance at Boone High School football and volleyball games. Five years later, Stotts realized Rehab Services needed to add someone to the team to meet the increasing demand for sports rehab care on and off the field. “We wanted to cover more sports and more schools, to involve ourselves within the local communities,” Stotts said. Samantha Busch was then hired.
With Busch, Rehab Services could be available for more sports in Boone year-round. On top of that, Busch began working with student-athletes at Ogden High School. Two years after she was hired, she added DMACC to the list. In the years that followed, the relationships between BCH and the schools began to strengthen, and the community continued to learn more about the sports medicine services offered through BCH. Eventually, DMACC needed full-time assistance with athletic training and rehab. As Busch planned to transition to that role in July 2022, Rehab Services needed to add another member to the team.
After receiving her DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) degree, Jordan Pritchard took on the new role of sports medicine specialist in late spring 2022. She grew up in Boone and was excited to return. “Jordan likes being back in her hometown to be close to family and to serve the community,” Stotts said. “She loves the small-town feel.” Not only has Pritchard returned to the town she loves, but she’s pursuing the career of her dreams. “I love getting to work with a wide range of patients, but my biggest passion is sports medicine,” she said. In addition, Pritchard specializes in dry needling. Dry needling was originally developed for athletes to treat pain in muscles and connective tissues. It’s something she’s looking forward to offering to athletes who would benefit along with concussion care.
Pritchard is becoming very involved with the student-athletes at the Ogden schools. In Ogden, many student-athletes play multiple sports and have siblings who play sports as well. This has made it easy for Pritchard to get to know Ogden families and give student-athletes the appropriate care.
Pritchard truly values her relationships with her patients because she’s been in the same position. “I try to relate as much as possible to the student-athletes I see,” she said. “Growing up as an athlete myself helps me get into the mindset of an athlete and know their goals, needs and physical capabilities to fully return to their sport.” She also bases their care on upcoming district and state events as well as pre-season and post-season expectations.
Stotts’ goal for Pritchard is to get her more involved with DMACC athletes to be a liaison between Busch and BCH. Pritchard and Busch have already had some opportunities to work together since Busch transitioned to DMACC. Because of Pritchard’s degree, Busch doesn’t have to send patients to Ames or Des Moines for care if something is beyond her expertise. Pritchard is right here in Boone to quickly and appropriately attend to the needs of athletes.
With these exciting changes in Rehab Services, BCH is looking forward to keeping the community healthy, no matter what’s thrown their way in the gymnasium or on the field. For any of your sports medicine needs or any other rehab services, call (515) 432-7729.
Pictured, left to right: Samantha Busch, MS, LAT, ATC, DMACC Head Athletic Trainer, Jake Stotts, DPT, BCH Rehab Services Co-Director, BJ McGinn, M.S.E., DMACC Director of Athletics, Jordan Pritchard, DPT, BCH Rehab Services, Brian O'Tool, PT, BCH Rehab Services Co-Director