WILLIAMSTON, N.C. (WNCT) — As we continue coverage on the closure of Martin General Hospital, some parents are concerned about their children being injured while playing sports during the upcoming school year.

“I’m concerned with even signing her up this year knowing that we don’t have a hospital,” Dawn Richan, a concerned Martin County parent said.

Richan’s 12-year-old daughter plays sports like soccer and softball. She, like other parents around the county, are concerned about the upcoming sports season with the hospital no longer open.

“In her years of playing sports, we’ve never had to utilize the facility, but who knows what the future brings,” Richan said. “Who knows if she gets on that field and something just goes wrong and that she’s not going to need to go there.”

Richan says she’s not only worried about her daughter but worried about parents whose children have serious health issues.

“I have a friend of mine whose daughter on occasion will have a seizure, and some seizures are worse than others,” Richan said. “It could be a future event that she’s waiting for and just hoping that each seizure that the child has, is not going to be as bad as that one that she needed life-saving care for.”

Sarah Stalls, the public information officer for Martin County Schools, said the school system will be working with EMS officials to make sure students in sports, especially football, will get the proper medical attention if they need it.

“We may not have our hospital at this moment but one thing Martin County does have is some of the best first responders in the state,” Stalls said. “Per the North Carolina High School Athletic Association rules, we have a trainer available for football and that is because it’s such a high-contact sport. We have that in place, so we have all the pieces in place to make the best out of this rough situation.”

Richan is still debating about letting her daughter play sports, however, she does say she trusts the school system and that they will do their best.