JAMAICA College (JC), one of the nation’s top high schools, is in the process of establishing its own Sports Medicine Unit to treat injuries sustained by athletes across the island.

Principal Ruel Reid made the disclosure at the school at yesterday’s awards ceremony for the 17th WATA/Powerade/JC track meet.

“Jamaica College is involved in a number of different sports activities and from time to time our youngsters get injured. We have had to spend a lot of money to have them rehabilitated and so strategically to serve them,” he said.

JC has won the coveted ISSA Manning Cup football competition a record 20 occasions and have claimed the Boys’ Athletics Championship crown 20 times.

Reid estimates that the first phase of the Sports Medicine Unit could cost in the region of $10 million.

“One thing we have experienced at Jamaica College is once we have a vision of a project, our stakeholders rally around and find the wherewithall to facilitate these projects,” he said.

Reid said the facility, when completed within the next 12 months, will be open to athletes of all ages.

“We realise that there is actually a need, because Jamaica now is so much involved in sports that we need the kind of care for our students (and professionals) who will get injured from time to time, so we think it’s very timely,” Reid reasoned.

“We’re hoping to have it started by September, if not for the next JC/WATA/Powerade track meet (in January 2011),” said the former president of the Jamaica Teachers Association, adding that the medical treatment will come at a cost for all athletes outside of JC.

“It’s not going to be free… but… the facility does not really exist across the country, so… we have this facility here, then they can simply just utilise it for a reasonable fee,” he said.