In the world of high school athletics, athletic trainers are often the unsung heroes, steadfast, skilled, and always ready. But for Kyia Barnett, athletic trainer with the UConn Institute of Sports Medicine a recent evening at Bloomfield High School turned into a moment of true heroism.
On a Monday evening, shortly after 7 p.m., Kyia was wrapping up a long day in her office after a late practice when she received a frantic call from one of the track and field coaches. The message was urgent, 911 had just been called, and she was needed at the track immediately.
Without hesitation, Kyia grabbed her medical bag and AED and sprinted to the scene. When she arrived, she found two adult men: one lying unresponsive on the track, the other kneeling beside him in distress. Kyia quickly assessed the situation and, finding no pulse, immediately initiated CPR.
“When you get a frantic call like that for a medical emergency, the only thing in the moment for me is to blank out everything else around me and zone in on the situation and do what needs to be done,” said Barnett. “It’s almost like second nature to hyperfocus in emergencies. At the same time, as soon as I assessed the situation of the collapsed individual with no pulse, it’s shocking. In our line of work, it’s uncommon to deal with cardiac arrest, and we also hope to never see it even though we have been intensely trained and prepared for it since day one.”
Barnett performed four to five rounds of chest compressions before EMS arrived on the scene. Thanks to her rapid and skilled intervention, paramedics were able to regain a pulse and transport the patient to a local hospital for further treatment and is now recovering.
“Kyia’s swift action and clinical expertise were instrumental in saving a life that night. Her calm under pressure, unwavering focus, and precise execution are the very embodiment of what it means to be an athletic trainer,” said Christopher Watkins, director of ambulatory services for Storrs, Willimantic, and Putnam.
Barnett was recently honored with the Connecticut Athletic Trainers’ Association (CATA) President’s Award, a special recognition presented at the discretion of the CATA Executive Council to acknowledge excellence in the practice of Athletic Training.
“There is no question that Kyia exemplifies this excellence every day, and on that evening, she went far beyond the call of duty,” says Anne Horbatuck, Vice President, Ambulatory Services and Chief Operating Officer, UConn Medical Group.
“It is a blessing and honor to receive this award, not only for me and my own successes, but to bring attention to other athletic trainers’. Our skills, responsiveness, and assets are extremely vital to athletic departments, as well as communities,” says Barnett. “I’m thankful that I was in the right place at the right time in this situation, and that my many years of experience and training, alongside my attentiveness, aided me in saving this man’s life.”
This event also speaks volumes about the trust and strong relationships Barnett has built with the Bloomfield High School coaching staff. In the most critical moment, their first call after 911 wasn’t to a supervisor or colleague, it was to Barnett
“It’s an honor, truly to be an athletic trainer. We are not only the medical backbone to athletic teams, but we are also a shoulder to cry on for athletes (and coaches), a safe space for them, and even the comical output to brighten one’s bad day,” says Barnett. “Somedays, we are simply just cheering on our athletes at games after rehabbing athletes back to their sport, others we may be in the situation where another’s lives are in our hands. I’ve put so much hard work, education, dedication, love, and compassion into being an Athletic Trainer, and I would not trade it for the world.”
