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Home News UT Medical Center Volunteers Staff Medical Tents at AAU Junior Olympics

UT Medical Center Volunteers Staff Medical Tents at AAU Junior Olympics

Published: Friday, August 17, 2007

Employees at The University of Tennessee Medical Center donated their time and expertise, filling more than 150 volunteer shifts to tend to the medical issues of young athletes who participated in the week-long track and field events at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympics in Knoxville, Tenn.

“Our employees at UT Medical Center, whether clinical or non-clinical, truly care about people and want to help them,” said Debbie Bell, RN, director of Network Development at UT Medical Center. “When our folks heard they could staff the medical tents at the track and field events and help the athletes, they jumped at the chance. We had two shifts of at least a dozen medical center employees each day at the event Tom Black Track on the UT campus. They treated countless minor medical situations and helped provide basic relief from the heat for the athletes and spectators with water, cold towels and ice packs. And when they got a brief break from treating people, they took the opportunity to cheer on the athletes. It was a very fulfilling experience.”

According to Bell, most of the people seen by medical tent volunteers needed relief from minor heat-related concerns. Other situations included twisted ankles, bumps and bruises, asthma attacks, muscle strains and cramping. In addition to UT Medical Center staff, Rural/Metro and the Knoxville Fire Department provided additional assistance and transportation for anyone in need of further treatment at a medical facility.

An estimated 9,000 athletes competed in the track and field events throughout the 2007 games. That’s an increase from the last time the AAU Junior Olympics were held in Knoxville in 2002. UT Medical Center volunteers staffed the medical tents during the 2002 games as well.

“We had such a great time supporting these young athletes from all over the country,” Bell said. “We just can’t wait for the AAU Junior Olympics to come back to Knoxville in 2012 so we can help out again.”

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.