Key takeaways:

• St. Joseph’s/Candler has five athletic trainers in its various urgent cares across the region.
• Our athletic trainers can assist providers with diagnosing and treating common orthopedic injuries that land patients in an urgent care.
• St. Joseph’s/Candler also has athletic trainers in some local schools, as well as the SJ/C Physician Network – Bone, Joint & Muscle Care office of Dr. Steven Greer. 

St. Joseph’s/Candler has five athletic trainers in various urgent cares to assist providers with sprains, strains and more

Your son landed awkwardly on the trampoline and is complaining of ankle pain.

You may have went a little too hard on the tennis or pickleball court and can’t lift your shoulder.

These are just a couple of examples that might require a trip to a St. Joseph’s/Candler Urgent Care. We have 10 across the region from Savannah to Pooler to Richmond Hill to Bluffton. (See all here)

What you will find in five of our urgent care locations that you may not expect are certified athletic trainers. St. Joseph’s/Candler has athletic trainers to assist the providers who staff our urgent care locations with common orthopedic injuries such as sprains, strains, joint pain and even concussions.

These athletic trainers are located at our urgent cares in: Savannah, both Pooler locations (the SJ/C Pooler Campus and Canal Street), Richmond Hill (Highway 144) and Rincon.

“We started staffing athletic trainers in urgent care about eight years ago,” says Joe Winburn, St. Joseph’s/Candler certified athletic trainer. “The relationship with the nurse practitioners and athletic trainers has worked out well. Over the years, we’ve found out we can do more and more to help the urgent care providers and the patients.”

Athletic trainers initially joined our urgent care locations to assist with referrals to specialists. To this day, they continue to help patients find the right doctor, when necessary, after their initial urgent care visit.

Also, in addition to assisting in diagnosing common orthopedic injuries, the athletic trainers can make recommendations for imaging and treatment. They also can assist with braces and other modalities that an injury might require.

“The background and go-to of the athletic trainer is orthopedics, but we do have general medicine education as well,” Winburn says.

About St. Joseph’s/Candler athletic trainers

St. Joseph’s/Candler has employed athletic trainers for more than 30 years, Winburn being among the first to be hired. In addition to athletic trainers in our urgent care locations, we have two each at Richmond Hill High school and Benedictine Military School, as well as two at Savannah State University, and one athletic trainer at St. Vincent’s Academy and St. Andrew’s School.

Additionally, we have a dedicated athletic trainer staffed in the St. Joseph’s/Candler Physician Network – Bone, Joint & Muscle Care office of Dr. Steven Greer. Dr. Greer is the medical director for the SJ/C Sports Medicine Program.

Learn more about Dr. Greer here

Learn more about the SJ/C Sports Medicine Program here

“To look where we were and where we are now, I believe St. Joseph’s/Candler has done a great job of promoting the program and getting us in front of the people we need to help,” Winburn says. “We are members of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, and we’ve talked to them about what we are doing in our urgent cares, and they are really impressed with that.”

Have an injury? Find an urgent care location near you and check-in now.