Mercyhurst University Lakers partner with AHN Sports Medicine Team to serve student-athletes

Mercyhurst University has partnered with Allegheny Health Network (AHN) to provide sports medicine services for its 750 student-athletes. As part of the five-year agreement, effective July 1, 2021, AHN will provide coverage for all 25 of the Lakers’ varsity teams.

“We are extremely fortunate that we can access world-class care for our student-athletes,” said David Myron, Mercyhurst vice president for finance and administration. “We are grateful to the entire AHN team in helping us maintain the health and wellbeing of our student-athletes.”

Suzanne Sweeney, assistant athletic director for Student-Athlete Health and Wellness at Mercyhurst, said the new agreement includes sports medicine primary care, orthopedic surgery, a concussion program, sport psychologists, and nutritionists. The university will also take advantage of educational programming in the areas of mental health and sport performance.

Among the highlights of the agreement are:

• A sports medicine primary care physician and orthopedic surgeon to provide three weekly injury clinics as needed.
• Home football game coverage, home wrestling coverage, home ice hockey coverage.
• Expedited access to AHN facilities for student-athletes and staff that need follow-up care.
• Healthy Roster Athletic Electronic Medical Record for all student-athletes.
• C3 Logix Concussion Management System.
• One athletic training liaison to support Mercyhurst University staff.
• Access to AHN Sports Psychology specialists for educational sessions and clinical referrals.

Another 200 club team players will benefit as will all university students thanks to a complementary agreement, whereby AHN will provide comprehensive health and wellness services to support the university’s Cohen Student Health Center. The sports medicine primary care physician serving athletics will also serve as medical director of the Cohen Student Health Center. 

“We anticipate the physician being on site each day for a few hours to care for any student who is ill and would normally come to the health center,” said Dr. Judy Smith, executive director of wellness at Mercyhurst.  “As medical director of the Center, the doctor will work closely with me and health center nurses on policies and practices that best address the needs of college students.”

AHN serves as the official medical provider for a growing number of high schools and colleges across the Western Pennsylvania region. Mercyhurst joins over two-dozen high school and collegiate teams, as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Riverhounds, to receive trusted medical care from AHN’s sports medicine physicians and athletic trainers. The agreement between Mercyhurst and AHN will result in the hiring of three additional athletic trainers to AHN’s sports medicine team.

“Thousands of athletes between Pittsburgh and Erie depend on AHN for their sports medicine needs, and we are excited that Mercyhurst University has entrusted our clinicians with the care of its athletes and students,” shared Patrick DeMeo, MD, Chair of the AHN Orthopaedic Institute and medical director of the Pittsburgh Pirates. “We look forward to providing the highest quality of care possible to help student-athletes avoid injuries, safety recover from injuries, and maximize their overall sports performance during this pivotal time in their athletic careers.”  

To learn more about AHN’s sports medicine program, visit https://www.ahn.org/services/orthopaedic/specialties/sports-medicine.

###

About Mercyhurst University

Mercyhurst University, founded in 1926 by the Sisters of Mercy, is a fully accredited, four-year, Catholic comprehensive institution in Erie, Pennsylvania. The university is home to an estimated 3,000 students and offers more than 85 undergraduate majors with nearly 70 concentrations and pre-professional tracks, as well as 13 graduate programs. Learn more at www.mercyhurst.edu.