News

Contact: Mary Roberts

North Platte, Neb., May 5, 2023 – On the football sidelines, at the basketball court and everywhere in between, you can find Great Plains Health Sports & Therapy. Tom Ksiazek, MSAT, LAT, ATC, Great Plains Health Sports & Therapy, is a full-time employee of Great Plains Health, but his time is devoted entirely to preventing, diagnosing and treating injuries related to student-athletes’ athletic performance. Depending on the season, Ksiazek provides treatment for up to 70 students every day, primarily at North Platte High School.

“We are there for the athletes’ best or worst times,” said Ksiazek. “We’re there when they cut a piece of the championship net, or get back on the court for the first time after recovering from a major injury. We’re also there in the tough times when a student tears an ACL and their season is over. We build relationships with the student-athletes and their families, and that’s just something you don’t get anywhere.”

One of those families is the Purdy family. Ryan and Leah Purdy are parents of three North Platte High School multi-sport student-athletes: Elliott, Carly and Addisyn. Elliott finished his track and field career at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln this spring. Carly will be playing women’s volleyball this fall at the University of Nebraska – Kearney. Addisyn is in her first year of high school, and competed in swim, volleyball and track and field. The family has faced a fair share of injuries over the years.

“Tom always has the student-athletes’ best interest in mind,” said Ryan Purdy. “As a parent, that’s huge. It’s not always about getting them back on the field of play immediately. Sometimes it’s about where they’re going in life and what’s best for them long term beyond their current sport.”

Ksiazek, who is in his sixth year of serving with Great Plains Health, emphasizes the access that students have to top-tier medical professionals and physicians.

“One time, a student-athlete had an injury during a game. Within moments, a physician who was watching the livestream texted me to ask about what happened and if he needed to meet us at the hospital,” said Ksiazek. “The accessibility is something you cannot find anywhere else.”

The Purdy family has experienced that firsthand.

“They’re available,” said Purdy. “They’re willing to talk us though things. I have the utmost trust and respect for their opinions and everything they do.”

Ksiazek and seven other athletic trainers and sports physical therapists at Great Plains Health Sports & Therapy provide coverage to a total of 17 area high schools, as well as at collegiate and professional events. In the 2021 to 2022 academic year, Great Plains Health totaled 13,351 contacts and covered 1,626 games, events and teams. Sports Medicine covers area rodeos throughout the year, travels with North Platte teams on their tournament runs and offers a free Saturday injury clinic during the fall season for any area player.

Purdy, who also serves as the president of Mid-Plains Community College, notes the value that Great Plains Health adds to our collegiate athletic programs.

"We are blessed as a college to have their services by our side," added Purdy.

Of the 32 rodeo events that Great Plains Health covers at the high-school, collegiate and professional levels, 30 do not have access to any other healthcare provider outside of the stand-by EMS crew.

“Great Plains Health has invested more than $1.32 million in the health and wellbeing of area student-athletes over the past five years through these services,” Ivan Mitchell, Great Plains Health chief executive officer, said. “We want to see our area youth thrive, because that only benefits their future, and our community.”

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About Great Plains Health

Based in North Platte, Nebraska, Great Plains Health is a fully accredited, 116-bed acute-care regional medical center serving western and central Nebraska, northern Kansas and southern South Dakota. With 90 physicians representing nearly 30 medical specialties, the Great Plains Health system offers advanced health care, including heart and vascular, cancer, and orthopedic surgery services. Great Plains Health is a Level III trauma center, and all of its emergency department physicians are residency-trained and board-certified in emergency medicine. The system employs approximately 1,200 employees and serves a geographic area spanning more than 67,000 square miles. The hospital is accredited by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) and is home to an American College of Surgeons-accredited cancer center and Level II bariatric surgery program. For more information, visit gphealth.org.