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Livingston Parish Athletes Score Free Physicals Today

[HAMMOND, La.]–Nearly 600 athletes from 10 Livingston Parish schools and Southeastern Louisiana University scored free physicals at North Oaks-Livingston Parish Medical Complex this morning to comply with Louisiana High School Athletic Association requirements for a yearly exam.

North Oaks Health System physicians and employees teamed up with athletic trainers and kinesiology students from Southeastern Louisiana University to make sure Livingston Parish's student-athletes are healthy to compete in the 2012-13 school year.

"It's a great program because it saves a lot of money on our end," says Angel Anderson of Walker, whose children Brennan, Mason and Mikayla attended Physical Day with their teammates from Walker High School. Brennan plays football and basketball for the Wildcats, while Mason plays basketball and baseball, and their sister Mikayla plays golf.

The free exams are just one benefit of enrollment in the North Oaks Sports Medicine Program. Program Supervisor and Head Athletic Trainer Jeff Schmitt adds that students enrolled in the program, who are injured at school-sponsored athletic events, are eligible to receive treatment and rehabilitation at North Oaks facilities with insurance accepted as payment in full (no deductibles). Other program features include: injury prevention and athletic ability enhancement education for athletes and coaches; and athletic trainer coverage at many school-sponsored sporting events and practices.

Jennifer Vicknair, whose daughter Hannah attends Albany Middle School, shares, “The Sports Medicine Program has been a blessing to our family. With a daughter who is a diehard basketball player, we have visited the clinic on several occasions in the past 3 years. Each time we walk in the doors, we are treated like family -- never a number. With Hannah's future as an athlete in mind, she has always been given immediate care with detailed guidance. The rapport the trainers have with the athletes is second-to-none.”

As the official health care provider of Southeastern Athletics, North Oaks also provided physical exams to collegiate athletes at the event. “Physical Day is an incredibly important and beneficial service to Lions Athletics,” affirms Cary Berthelot, Head Athletic Trainer of Southeastern Louisiana University. “Our student-athletes receive first-rate physical evaluations and screenings for potential injuries and other health-related concerns. Plus our kinesiology students get the opportunity to interact with a variety of medical professionals.”

Area physicians who volunteered at Physical Day in Livingston Parish include: Drs. Bryan Dudoussat, J. Larry Fambrough, Anthony Haase, Alyssa Lyon, Dennis Morris, Judson Penton, Jack Reid and Sidney St. Amant. Nurse Practitioners include: Keri Burkes, Michelle Civello, Lisa Bishop and Marina Stafford.

Last month, North Oaks Sports Medicine sponsored a Physical Day for Tangipahoa Parish schools on the North Oaks Medical Center campus in Hammond. Collectively, nearly 2,000 student-athletes from 30 schools benefited between the two events.

To learn more about North Oaks Sports Medicine, please call (985) 230-5248.
Dr. Judson L. Penton, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine with North Oaks Orthopaedic Specialty Center, examines a student athlete at North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day in Livingston on May 5. Dr. Jack Reid performs a heart and lung check on Andrew Brown, a cheerleader at Southeastern Louisiana University during North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day in Livingston.
From left, Orthopaedic Surgeons Judson Penton, J. Larry Fambrough and Bryan Dudoussat are three of 12 local physicians and nurse practitioners who volunteered at North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day in Livingston Parish.Walker High School Wildcat Brennan Anderson gets a heart and lung check from Dr. Sidney St. Amant during North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day in Livingston on May 5. Brennan plays high school football and basketball.
Mason Anderson rests as his blood pressure is checked during North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day in Livingston. The Walker High School Wildcat plays basketball and baseball. Lindsay McAlpin, a speech pathologist with North Oaks Rehabilitation Services, performs a height check on Walker High School Golfer Mikayla Anderson at North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day in Livingston on May 5. Anderson participated in the free event with her brothers Brennan and Mason, who are both multi-sport athletes at Walker High School.
Nearly 600 athletes from 10 Livingston Parish schools and Southeastern Louisiana University scored free physicals at North Oaks-Livingston Parish Medical Complex this morning. This marks the 2nd year that the 21-year-old North Oaks Sports Medicine program has hosted a Physical Day locally for Livingston Parish student-athletes. Before the opening of the North Oaks-Livingston Parish Medical Complex, all Livingston and Tangipahoa athletes participated in the Physical Day held in Hammond.