Student-Athletes Win With Free North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Days

With 30 years of service to student-athletes in Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes, the North Oaks Sports Medicine team continues to provide on-site physical exams for local schools and their athletes to complete the Louisiana High School Athletic Association requirements.

This year, a team of North Oaks health care providers, athletic trainers and employee volunteers traveled to 14 schools across 2 parishes to complete 1,594 physical exams.

Ponchatoula High School Athletic Director Tim Mattei made it his goal to see as many of his student athletes as possible at North Oaks Health System’s 30^th Annual Sports Physical Day on June 4.

“We enjoy having it on our campus,” Mattei shared. “It makes it so much easier on the kids as well as our coaches.”

Jaquan Livers, a football player for Ponchatoula, explained he was impressed with the seamless process.

“Physical day was great. Everyone greeted me as soon as I walked in and treated us all with respect. It was quick and easy for us, and we felt taken care of,” Livers explained.

North Oaks Infectious Disease Physician Stacy R. Newman, MD, had the perspective as a provider and a coach at this year’s event. As the head coach for the varsity girls’ soccer team at St. Thomas Aquinas (STA) Regional Catholic High School, Dr. Newman was satisfied.

“In my role, I believe this year’s physical day was both beneficial to the student athletes and their guardians. There was minimal wait time for all who participated, along with experiencing firsthand that my players and all STA athletes were assessed with the care they needed. As a physician and coach, this process of providing physicals ensured that every athlete was safe and ready for their upcoming competitive year,” commented Dr. Newman.

Those who volunteered for the events included: Drs. Brandi Basso, Gayle Beyl, Stacy Newman and Farhan Siddiqui; Physician Assistants James “Randy” Herrin and Matthew Bruhn; and Nurse Practitioners Polly Burrall, Michelle Civello, Shawn Dearie, Christine Dominguez, Mallory Jenkins, Whitney Lashua, April McIntyre, Rae Pitcher, Diane Rabalais and Leslie Wood.

The North Oaks Sports Medicine program is led by fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons Drs. Katy Morris and Jeffrey Witty along with a team of athletic trainers, performance coaches and physical therapists. The team’s priority is providing education for coaches, athletes and families, onsite emergency acute care at practices and games, and rehabilitation to help severely injured players safely return to the playing field.

To learn more about North Oaks Sports Medicine, call North Oaks Public Relations at (985) 230-6647 or visit www.northoaks.org/sportsmedicine.