Emmanuel Serafin sat and watched the rest of his teammates continue to practice, trying to figure out what could be done about a left knee that had suddenly folded backward.
That damage? Fractured tibia. Fractured femoral head. Internal bleeding. Torn anterior cruciate ligament. Torn posterior cruciate ligament. Torn meniscus. L.A. Unified schools require emergency medical technicians to be present on the sidelines of football games, which helps in emergency situations such as the life-threatening head injury to Venice’s Nathan Santa Cruz last fall. Efforts are being made across the district, as Garfield football coach Lorenzo Hernandez said, to expand the presence of athletic trainers at secondary schools.
He and his mother, Maria Serafin, “cried for three straight weeks,” she remembered. A receptionist for a law firm, she’d lost her job as the world went remote in the midst of COVID-19, leaving her unable to pay for better insurance beyond Medi-Cal. “Los Angeles Unified understands the concerns raised about access to healthcare services for our student-athletes and we have taken the necessary steps to bridge this gap and enhance supports,” the district told The Times in a statement, along with information about Farrell’s position and organizational partnerships.
Earlier this year, AB796, sponsored by Akilah Weber , passed the Assembly and is with a Senate committee for review. If passed, the bill would create a regulatory board for athletic trainers within the Department of Consumer Affairs that would govern licensing and oversight. A majority of players at City Section schools like Roosevelt or Jefferson, coaches said, are primarily covered by Medi-Cal, insurance that functions similar to an HMO with a plan that often limits coverage to doctors who contract with that organization.
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