Horizon Health Announces Athletic Trainer in Westville

Morgan Gallion returns home to support local sports

Horizon Health continues to support the health and safety of local athletes, adding another athletic trainer to its coverage area.

Morgan Gallion – a Westville, Illinois native – has been named as the dedicated athletic trainer for Westville School District 2. The district includes Westville High School, Westville Junior High, and Judith Giacoma Elementary School.

“It’s a dream job of mine,” Morgan said. “I’ve always wanted to come back to the community and start a program for the kids.”

Horizon Health has provided athletic trainers for area sports teams for the past several years. In addition to Westville, Horizon Health provides an athletic trainer for Paris, Chrisman, Martinsville, La Salette Academy, Paris Youth Football, and Tri-County sports (a co-op between Kansas, Oakland, and Shiloh schools).

“We are excited to extend our service area and grow our program,” said Lisa Smittkamp, certified athletic trainer and sports medicine supervisor at Horizon Health. “Morgan is a great addition to our team.”

Horizon Health’s athletic trainers assess, manage, treat, rehabilitate, and recondition athletic injuries. They also provide emergency care and implement concussion protocols to ensure player safety. The Horizon Health athletic training team includes full-time athletic trainers Alli Antkiewicz, Rachael Vice, who is also a doctor of physical therapy, and Lisa Smittkamp. The team includes athletic trainers Madissen Davis and Huntur Orwick, who are graduate assistants from Eastern Illinois University.

Morgan will make her athletic trainer debut in Westville during the fall sports season.

“I’m super excited,” she said. “It’s going to be a learning curve for everyone since Westville has never had an athletic trainer. But it can only go up from here.”

Aside from her athletic training duties, Morgan will assist with community-based exercise classes and bracing for orthopedic conditions. She will help implement “Momentum,” an injury-prevention and sports enhancement program for athletes of all ages. The program was developed by licensed Horizon Health rehab staff.

Morgan is a certified athletic trainer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training, with a minor in athletic coaching, from Illinois State University. Prior to Horizon Health, she worked as an athletic trainer at a hospital in Linton, Indiana. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys walking, watching sports, and spending time with family.