Colorado University’s Student Recreation Center has documented 223 injured students over the past year, 20 of which left the facility by ambulance, according to Campus Recreation Assistant Director Erin Patchett.

The Student Recreation Center has an emergency action plan put in place that guides faculty response to injury, and 65 percent of staff members are required to have a certification in emergency response.

“We have an incident report form that our staff members must fill out for injuries that require care beyond a single Band-Aid,” Patchett wrote in an email to the Collegian.

According to Patchett, injuries that occur outside the Student Recreation Center are not recorded in the injury reports.

On Aug. 25, Samuel Strus, a health and exercise science transfer sophomore, was playing basketball outside of the Student Recreation Center, when he allegedly sprained his ankle and was unable to walk.

According to a witness, Strus’ teammates moved him inside the Recreation Center where he sought help from a staff member.

The staff member offered him an ice pack but was unable to provide alternative assistance to transport him back to his residence hall or to seek medical attention. A witness said the staff member asked him to call a friend on campus.

“He is a transfer student and doesn’t really know anyone, so we decided to help,” said Marissa Settje, a human development and family studies sophomore, who came to Strus’ aid when he asked for assistance.

After checking the closed Hartshorn Health Center, Settje took Strus to the emergency room.

If a student’s daily life is affected by an injury, they can contact the Student Case Management office, located in Newsom Hall, including those not associated with the Student Recreation Center and/or the Colorado State University campus.

“That office is a great resource for students going through difficult situations,” Patchett wrote.

The director and assistant director of Student Case Management both said that the office’s goal is to provide help when students experience crisis, so that the impacts are mitigated.

According to Director Jennifer Van Norman, Student Case Management provides case-by-case assistance to students with injuries or other crisis that require attention — whether it is helping students navigate hospital resources, providing transportation options and alternative housing or aiding in academic success and planning.

“We’re kind of one-stop shopping for everything the campus has to offer,” Van Norman said.

To prevent injury, the Student Recreation Center encourages students to use exercise equipment as directed, warm up properly before working out and follow all Student Recreation Center policies, posted throughout the facility.

First aid kits are available to students throughout the Student Recreation Center, according to Patchett. The facility also works with Environmental Health Services to provide three automatic external defibrillator (AEDs), located in the Student Recreation Center, on the Intramural Fields and at the Challenge Course.

“It is always good to receive the advice of a physician before engaging in a new sport or fitness activity, or when coming off of an injury,” Patchett wrote.

Collegian Reporter Luke Hyce can be reached at news@collegian.com and on Twitter @luke_hyce.