After a couple weeks of deliberation and consideration, the Oxford School District picked their medical group of choice to be the athletic teams’ doctor. The Board of Trustees voted during their regular monthly meeting in favor of Superintendent Brian Harvey’s recommendation to stick with University Sports Medicine (USM) and Dr. Ed Field.

The school board decided between USM and Oxford Orthopaedics, who each gave presentations during a special meeting held on June 12. Field was in attendance Monday night to represent USM. Dr. Kurre Luber attended to represent Oxford Orthopaedics.

“As a superintendent I’ve had no complaints (about University Sports Medicine),” Harvey said during the meeting. “I know Dr. Field and others at University Sports Medicine are passionate about being with the Oxford School District and being associated with the Oxford School District.”

Dr. Field has had a working relationship with Oxford and its athletic department for over 25 years. The athletic teams’ familiarity with Field and majority consensus in favor of USM from input by Oxford’s coaches also weighed into the school board’s decision to stick with USM.

“Bottom line, when everything is said and done it’s about taking care of the kids,” Field said after the meeting. “I really totally appreciate (the school board’s) support. It’s just affirmation of what I’ve already been doing. But again, the ultimate bottom line it’s about taking care of the kids at Oxford High School.”

The board once again expressed their desire to find a way for both medical groups to work together but recognized the difficulties both groups brought up during their presentations earlier this month that proposition could create.

“We were disappointed,” Luber said. “We’ll still take care of all the kids who come through and all the school district employees. It’s not going to change how we practice or how we care for people. We just wanted to have a more direct correlation with it. We felt having board-certified surgeons taking care of the district is important. We felt like having a broader spectrum of specialties was important.”

The school board reiterated their decision is not taking away the student-athlete’s, or their family’s, choice of who they prefer to be the treating physician.