By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Like so many fine ideas, this one began as a casual conversation.
 
It was last month in William & Mary's athletic training area. Brad Beam, Emergency Medical Services Battalion Chief for the Williamsburg Fire Department, was there. So were Robbie Lester, the Tribe's Head Athletic Trainer, and Dr. Virginia Wells, Athletics Chief Medical Officer.
 
At some point, electrocardiograms (EKGs) were mentioned. Lester and Wells discussed how valuable they would be for student-athletes, and Beam told them WFD could provide the equipment. All the university would have to pay for would be the electrode pads.
 
A month later, Beam and his colleagues made five trips to Kaplan Arena and conducted EKGs on approximately 125 first-year student-athletes. The tests can detect heart issues that had gone undiagnosed, find evidence of myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle, a potential COVID-19 side effect — and provide a baseline against which future EKGs can be compared.
 
"The city of Williamsburg and the university, we pride ourselves on this partnership and being one community," Beam said. "I think this really embodies that. You have the athletic trainers helping us, and our folks are there giving the EKG, and Dr. Wells is interpreting them.
 
"You have all these moving parts, and at the end of the day, it's for the common good of the student-athlete. It's not just us saying we're one community. We're truly displaying that."
 
William & Mary couldn't be more appreciative.
 
"It's been an amazing partnership we've had with Williamsburg Fire Department and EMS," Wells said. "They have been volunteering their time and doing these EKGs at no cost to the student athletes.  We're eternally grateful to them as this is an examination which would not be covered by their family's health insurance."
 
Mike London, whose football program has more than two dozen incoming freshmen, praised the cooperation between the university and WFD.
 
"It's the ultimate story of the community coming together," he said. "It's been a huge blessing to see that come to fruition and know we're going to adopt that as common practice moving forward.
 
"It's an added layer of safety and protocol. Our school and athletic department will adopt that as common practice now."
 
An EKG is a quick, painless procedure that produces immediate results. It can detect issues like arrhythmia, blocked arteries or a previous heart attack. It also can find evidence of myocarditis, which in most cases is caused by a viral infection and can affect how the heart pumps blood.
 
Normally, myocarditis goes away with rest. However, studies have suggested athletes face a higher risk of complications.
 
"When all this COVID issue first started, the medical community, the National Athletic Trainers' Association and the NCAA Sports Science Institute looked at all different variables of it," Lester said. "And (myocarditis) kept popping up. That's true with almost any virus, as I understand it, but this one seems to be a little more prevalent in causing myocarditis.
 
"NATA and the Sports Science Institute says EKGs are strongly recommended for anyone who has tested positive. Any of our athletes who have tested positive will be getting an EKG, and that's a very, very big plus for us."
 
Beam and/or his colleagues have made five trips to Kaplan to conduct the EKGs. Wells, who earned her MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1985, reads each test and check for abnormalities. If she finds any, she will refer the athlete to a cardiologist.
 
"We already have the equipment, so there's really no cost associated with us running the EKG other than the college paying for the pads," Beam said. "Our providers are already at work. We're not taking stuff out of service to go over there.
 
"If a call comes in, we would respond from (Kaplan). So from a cost standpoint, it was really a no-brainer."
 
Lester credits William & Mary's long-standing relationship with Williamsburg Fire Department with this added benefit for Tribe athletics.
 
"They're very supportive of our student-athletes and coverage of the football games," he said. "They're always available when we need them, like when we host an event on campus, whether it's the half-marathon we used to have or an NCAA soccer tournament game.
 
"Whatever it may be, they're willing to give us their time. It's another step, I feel, we can use to better the safety of the student-athlete, especially in this era of the COVID."