- Michelle Bartlome
Choose the health content that’s right for you, and get it delivered right in your inbox.
AdventHealth Athletic Trainer Helps Save Football Player from Heat Stroke
On a very hot Florida morning, Stacy Mitchell, defensive lineman on the football team and senior at Flagler Palm Coast High School, arrived at practice feeling unwell.
“Normally, if I’m not feeling good, I’ll stay home, but that day I pushed myself,” Mitchell, 17, of Bunnell, said. Little did he know, he was on the verge of a serious heat-related incident. After an intense morning workout, he collapsed in the locker room, unable to move.
“I sat there for maybe five to 10 minutes before they took me to the training room,” Mitchell said.
AdventHealth’s head athletic trainer for Flagler Palm Coast High School Ron Steinwehr rushed to Mitchell’s side after two coaches alerted him.
“They told me, ‘Mr. Ron, Stacy’s down. He needs your help,’” Steinwehr recalled.
Steinwehr immediately recognized the danger Mitchell was in.
“It was a case of exertional heat stroke,” Steinwehr explained. “Part of our policies with AdventHealth and Flagler County Schools is that we cool first, then transport second.”
In a race against time, Steinwehr and the coaching staff placed Mitchell into a cold-water immersion tub, a key part of their heat emergency protocols. They also wrapped cold towels around his neck and face, closely monitoring his symptoms. As Mitchell’s condition stabilized, emergency services arrived to provide additional care.
Mitchell made a full recovery, but his story highlights the very real dangers athletes face in extreme heat.
“You’d think athletes could handle the heat the most,” Steinwehr noted. “Unfortunately, environmental risks are unpredictable, and I always have to stay on high alert.”
As part of his job, Steinwehr constantly monitors conditions using a device called a wet bulb globe thermometer (WBGT). The device measures heat, humidity, sun, sun angle, cloud cover and wind to determine the true impact of weather conditions.
“It’s the gold standard in measuring heat stress here in Florida,” Steinwehr said. “When the WBGT reading goes above 92°F, athletes can’t practice outside. It’s too dangerous.”
When it reaches those conditions, athletic trainers recommend alternatives to outside practices.
Prevention is the name of the game, according to Steinwehr, and he helps make sure student athletes are well-prepared.
“We educate them about heat-related illnesses, and remind them constantly to hydrate, eat properly, and listen to their bodies,” he said.
AdventHealth’s formal partnership with Flagler Schools began in 2021 and represents a $750,000 commitment from the health care organization to bolster student mental health, provide care for student athletes, and establish more career pathways for graduates.
AdventHealth also provides free sports physicals and ECG screenings to students entering 6th-12th grades to ensure young athletes are ready to play sports in the new school year.
Recent News
Final steel beam marks key step in AdventHealth Daytona Beach expansion
Local leaders, officials, and construction workers gathered today to commemorate a major milestone in the expansion underway at AdventHealth Daytona Beach: placing the final steel beam.
AdventHealth is excited to introduce Eugenio L. Menendez, DO, FACP, to our community of care. He is joining the team at AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Hendersonville* following the...
AdventHealth Heart of Florida and AdventHealth Polk Foundation leaders are delighted to unveil a new courtesy visitor shuttle meant to enhance accessibility and comfort for patients.
Dr. Jeffrey Keen, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstruction, orthopedic surgery, robotic-assisted surgery, and sports medicine, has returned to AdventHealth Medical...
In recognition of National Donate Life Month, nearly 300 transplant patients and their families enjoyed AdventHealth’s 2025 transplant reunion.
By managing ASCs as distinct entities with tailored operations, financial structures, and physician partnerships, the East Florida Division is fostering collaboration, efficiency, and growth.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 101,000 people are currently on the organ transplant list in need of a new kidney. However, only about 17,000 transplants happen each year —...
Leaders and volunteers from AdventHealth, United Way of Central Florida, Hands for the Homeless and the community worked together to distribute more than 9400 pounds of food to people in need.
The AdventHealth Board of Directors has appointed David Banks as the organization’s new president/CEO, effective immediately.
AdventHealth is excited to welcome Shalom Littrell, LCSWA, to its team at AdventHealth Medical Group Psychiatry at Medical Office Building*. Littrell is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate and...
The AdventHealth Heathbrook ER will have 12 exam rooms, including a resuscitation room, a bariatric room, an isolation room, obstetrics-friendly room and pediatric-friendly rooms.
Ming Wu, MD -- a family medicine doctor with AdventHealth Littleton -- talks about the ways to lessen the impact of seasonal allergies this spring.