The Detroit Public Schools Health Corps: a student-led model for delivering sideline and preventive sports medicine in underserved communities

BACKGROUND: Resource-limited school districts often lack athletic trainers and real-time medical support during sports events, placing student-athletes at risk for improper care. The Detroit Public School Health Corps (DPSHC), a medical student-led initiative, was developed to fill this need through supervised sideline coverage by trained medical students. This study evaluates the program's first full year of implementation. METHODS: The authors analyzed injury encounters during the 2024-2025 academic year across 280 athletic events at 16 Detroit public high schools. Thirty-one medical student volunteers, known as Health Leaders (HLs), received 12 h of standardized training in emergency triage, musculoskeletal assessment, concussion management, and Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR) communication. HLs were supported by attending physicians in pediatrics, sports medicine, and orthopedics, with real-time support available via phone for clinical decision-making. Post-event documentation captured injury characteristics, mechanism, anatomical location, clinical assessment findings, triage decisions, and athlete disposition. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize injury frequency, type, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 89 injury encounters were documented, with lower extremity injuries being most common (56.2%), followed by head and neck injuries (23.6%). Over half (56.2%) of the injuries were fully managed on-site; 22.4% were referred for outpatient follow-up and 11.2% required emergency care. Only five athletes were transported by Emergency Medical Services. CONCLUSIONS: The DPSHC model demonstrates a feasible, cost-effective approach to expanding on-field sports medicine care in medically underserved school systems. The initiative provided timely care, enhanced safety, and offered meaningful clinical exposure for medical students. With appropriate training and oversight, medical students can help address systemic gaps in secondary school athletic healthcare. This model may be replicable in other resource-limited settings.