Background:

In 2023, a tragic cardiac arrest during a high school basketball game in Detroit, where a student-athlete collapsed and later died despite bystander aid and EMS intervention. This event brought national attention to the lack of consistent sideline medical coverage in underserved urban public schools. Despite widespread advocacy for the presence of certified athletic trainers, Detroit’s public schools have faced systemic under-resourcing. To address this inequity, students at Wayne State University School of Medicine developed the Detroit Public School Health Corps (DPSHC), a student-led initiative that provides consistent sideline medical care through strategic partnerships and longitudinal volunteer engagement.

Methods:

Our organization formed a partnership between the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Wayne Pediatrics, and the Detroit Medical Center Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. The initiative recruited over 50 medical student volunteers over the 2024-2025 academic year to volunteer as sideline sports first responders at high school athletic events. Students completed several sport specific training courses led by physicians and residents in sports medicine and pediatrics. We utilized a combined didactic and hands-on instruction, adding up to over ten hours of curriculum across an academic year. Trained volunteers were deployed to 16 high schools in the Detroit Public School Community District. Each sporting season, we provide on-site triage and acute care, with escalation protocols involving on-call physicians and EMS for higher-acuity injuries. Our hospital partners also supported logistical coordination and physician oversight.

Results:

During the most recent academic year, our volunteers staffed: 156 of 250 home basketball games (boys and girls), 58 of 64 home football games, 50 of 185 home baseball/softball games, 10 of 14 home girls' soccer games, and 10 of 10 track meets. This totaled 598 hours of sideline coverage across all three sports seasons in 16 public high schools. Over 50 trained student volunteers provided consistent, supervised care, directly assisting thousands of student-athletes. The collaboration with on-call physicians through Wayne Pediatrics and the Detroit Medical Center Orthopedics and Sports Medicine enabled real-time consultation and emergency triage as needed.

Conclusion:

DPSHC demonstrates a sustainable, scalable model for addressing the absence of sideline medical personnel in under-resourced school systems. By leveraging medical student enthusiasm, structured clinical training, and institutional partnerships, this initiative has delivered meaningful healthcare access to student-athletes in Detroit. Looking ahead, we aim to expand the program’s impact through continued systematic data collection on injuries, hydration access, and volunteer experiences. These insights will guide ongoing improvements in both student-athlete well-being and the educational value for medical students.