When Suzie Squires first learned about a grant that would help some Valley schools, she knew it met a strong need.

Squires, the athletic training manager with the Dignity Health Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, knows not even the majority of high schools in the U.S. have their own certified athletic trainers, Chandler Unified getting trainers at its seven junior high / middle schools — even for three years through a grant — is a helpful development.

“It’s more than just trainers at ball games,” Squires said. “It’s enhancing care and expanding health care. And it’s for an age group that’s at a critical time as far as making or breaking habits.”

In 2022, the Dignity Health Foundation East Valley was awarded a three-year, $180,000 grant through the ‘innovATe’ project offered by th

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