Bowman healthcare team comprise a reliable sideline safeguard
Dec. 28—BOWMAN COUNTY — Staying close to the athletic field is sometimes the only goal for people born-and-raised in any community, especially if they played for the home-team. For the people at Southwest Healthcare Services, that also means being on-hand for the Bowman County Bulldogs' games at all times, just to be certain that in the event of an injury there are qualified doctors, physical therapists and treatment experts available in case a player, coach or referee suffers any injury during gametime.
It's far from a thankless job, because people like Dr. Jennifer Jahner — who is a Bowman native and has been a Southwest North Dakota resident for most of her life — enjoy being on the sideline and maintaining that connection to sports. She is the director of rehabilitation and a physical therapist and the company is contracted through the school.
"I've been working in sports medicine for about 15 years now, me and Patty (Gilbert, PA-C, L/ATC) and Darren (Criswell, DPT, CLT), who you'll also see on the board out there (at the gymnasium) cover home varsity events and we come once or twice a week and look at athletes (during school hours) if they have issues to try and prevent further injury," Jahner said. "It's just been a really good partnership with the school to be able to make sure the coaches can worry about coaching and we can help with the other things that need to be done."
Gilbert also is a Bowman native who has worked in the field for more than 20 years and Criswell is originally from Colstrip, Mont. and the three comprise a sports-medicine team that has become ubiquitous and synonymous with Bulldogs athletics. Jahner played basketball for the Bulldogs and subsequently in college at Northern State University after graduating from BCHS in 1999. She then attended Des Moines University to earn her doctorate in physical therapy.
"I was a junior high and a varsity assistant coach (in basketball) for about five or 10 years and then after baby number-three and number-four came along I had to back off a little bit," Jahner said. "So, my husband (Jonathan) he refs and runs the clock and my son (Paxton) is an eighth-grader and he's on the JV team ... so, it totally keeps us close to the game."
She added, "I mean, we'd be here anyways because we're fans and we were both athletes and we enjoy it."
Jon also coaches cross-country and track & field for the Bulldogs and Trinity Titans multi-sport standout Ava Jahner is their niece,, but that is far from the end of the athletically affiliated family. Her other children are named Keira, Lawson and Laken.
While the workload isn't typically strenuous, it is incredibly important and between evaluating something simple like a rolled-ankle or a sprained-wrist and determining other sports-related maladies the job is paramount for the safety of the athletes.
"In gym activities ... if somebody hurts their knee, we can give them advice on whether they should return to play or not, so we're used in that manner, so the coach can coach," Dr. Jahner said. "That way, the coach doesn't have to make that decision — we can give advice — and the coach or the parent ultimately has the final decision on what to do."
The football field can be a bit of a different story, where they serve as the "first-line" of treatment and can immediately consult emergency/ambulance services when necessary, including a specific concussion protocol and checklist the company follows. They also are the final authority on "return-to-play" decisions for all Bowman County athletes in the event of a severe injury.
Given their long-term place in the community, fans and athletes have gotten used to their presence because Bowman was one of the first rural communities to secure such services. They also can be spotted at track and wrestling meets, along with volleyball during the autumn.
"Being around for as long as we have, I think the coaches in the region recognize us and have a comfort level," Dr. Jahner said. "We don't try to overstep, we just make sure to give the best information."
She added, "We always want kids to play and be on the field, but it's all about safety."
For more information about Southwest Healthcare Services, please visit their website at
or call 701-523-7848.
