Celebrating 25 Years of Sports Medicine With Roaring Fork School District

For 25 years, Valley View has provided a pro-bono, sports medicine program to the Roaring Fork School District, which this year is valued at $450,000.

Over the duration of the partnership, Valley View has invested nearly $7 million in the district’s student-athletes. With a primary focus to keep athletes safe from injuries, Valley View will continue its dedication to the Roaring Fork School District by providing staff salaries, equipment and supplies for the athletic trainers at Glenwood Springs High School, Roaring Fork High School and Basalt High School. The team remains anchored by certified athletic trainers who have worked with student-athletes for years: Marni Barton (23 years), Ryan Erickson (14 years) and Mike McCann (6 years).

The Valley View network of care includes primary care and other services that advance the health and well-being for athletes and all individuals in the local community. ValleyOrtho provides quality services to athletes in personalized injury prevention, recovery and sports medicine throughout the district.

Valley View reaches for peak athletic performance by supporting the whole student in areas such as nutrition, sleep, stress management, injury care and treatment, including surgical treatment when necessary. Plus, ValleyOrtho physicians and their team provide sideline medical staff and support at sporting events both home and away.

Features of ValleyOrtho’s program with the Roaring Fork School District include daily training room coverage by a certified athletic trainer; sideline medical coverage for various games; administration of baseline concussion evaluation and post-concussion management and treatment; electronic documentation system for sports injuries; education for coaches, athletes and parents; supply/equipment management for the athletic training room; and a Sports Medicine course for students interested in learning about Sports Medicine at both Glenwood Springs High School and Basalt High School.

The program includes pre-participation physical exams when needed, a next-day injury evaluation with physicians as needed, and participation in the high schools’ STEM program. This includes professional shadowing, mentoring, seminars and training, as well as participation in Capstone projects.

The program also addresses comprehensive concussion prevention and nutrition. It provides inclusivity training for children with disabilities and sensitivity for the transgender athlete. In addition, it focuses on future importance of managing infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

As a nonprofit community hospital, Valley View accepts any and all payers when a payment is necessary. It accepts Medicaid and uninsured patients, and offers a charity care policy unrivaled in Colorado, offering free or deeply discounted care when families make less than $141,000 per year (500% of poverty level).

“We have been an integral part of this cooperative with the Roaring Fork School District to ensure that its students have access to the highest-quality, personalized injury treatment and recovery plan. We provide exceptional sports medicine care to help prevent injury, increase athletic performance and allow our students to stay healthy and safe,” said Ferdinand “Tito” Liotta, MD, medical director of orthopedic services at Valley View. “We are pleased to enthusiastically continue our support of this program to serve student-athletes and our community.”

“As the new superintendent of the Roaring Fork School District, I am delighted to continue this great partnership that serves our student-athletes. We truly appreciate the ongoing support from ValleyOrtho and the entire Valley View network of care,” said Jesús Rodríguez, Ed.D, superintendent of Roaring Fork School District. “We value the strong, trusting relationships that the ValleyOrtho team has formed with our student-athletes.”