Program centers on wellness, early diagnosis, and treatment
Newswise — ORLANDO, FL – (February 12, 2013) – Orlando Health and the Living Heart Foundation, with support from the NFL Players Association, have teamed-up to provide personalized healthcare to former NFL players. With the program launch, Orlando Health becomes the only healthcare system in the state to offer a multispecialty, personalized care program to former NFL players in Central Florida. The clinically-integrated program offers services that help identify health risks in former players early and provide a connection to appropriate treatment.
“It’s important for healthcare providers to know their patients’ backgrounds, particularly if those patients were elite athletes who have experienced the physical demands that are required to compete at that level,” said Wayne Jenkins, M.D., president of Orlando Health Physician Partners. The program kicked off with personalized service focused in three clinical areas; orthopedics, cardiovascular care, and weight management.
“These have been selected as primary services do to their prevalence in our society in general, and specifically in the population of former NFL players,” said Arthur Roberts, M.D., retired cardiac surgeon, former NFL quarterback and founder and chairman of the Living Heart Foundation. “Just like the general population, as these fellows age they tend to gain weight. Carrying excess weight can lead to a variety of health conditions including hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol and increased orthopedic issues.”
In orthopedics for example, former NFL players report up to five times higher incidences of arthritis and joint replacement than the general population according to a 2003 NFL study. Weight management is a primary concern for some former players who may as active players sometimes been consuming more than 4,000 calories a day to maintain their playing weight. Now they need assistance transitioning to the post-NFL world in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
“These former players worked hard on the field,” said Andre Collins, director, Former Players Division, NFL Players Association. “Now that they’ve retired from the game, it’s important to provide them with the best healthcare services to meet their individual needs.”
The program embodies Orlando Health’s patient-first strategy of providing seamless, coordinated care that puts the patient first. Players’ appointments for physician visits, lab work, procedures, and other clinical care are coordinated through one Orlando Health office to ensure they receive appropriate care in a timely and efficient manner.
The first six enrollees into the program are: • John Baker, DE, Green Bay Packers, 1964 and Don Ratliff, DE, Philadelphia Eagles, 1975 • Louis Ross, DE, Buffalo Bills, 1971-‘72/Kansas City Chiefs, 1975 and Patrick Joseph O’Hara, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1991 • Joshua Rawlings, T, New England Patriots, 2000 and Jeff Herrod, LB, Indianapolis Colts, 1988
“We are very pleased to support this program and be able to connect our former players to quality healthcare,” said Mike McBath, spokesman for the Orlando chapter of the NFLPA. “We owe a huge thank you to them for helping make the game what it is today.”
About the Living Heart Foundation The Living Heart Foundation (LHF) is a nonprofit organization under IRS 501 (c) (3) code. The LHF was initially funded by a grant from the Edison Foundation. Subsequently, Funding sources and donations have been obtained from companies like Covidien, Pfizer, Meridian Health System, Siemens, NFL Player Care Foundation, NFL Players Association Fund and from individual sources. The LHF was established by Arthur J. Roberts, MD in April 2001 to combat sudden cardiac death and to provide cardiovascular risk stratification with early preventive intervention for cardiac, pulmonary, and metabolic conditions through on-site screening and integrated follow-up health programs. The LHF has published 10 peer review papers related to CV risk in college students & athletes, as well as former NFL athletes.
About the NFL Players AssociationThe National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is a non-profit, professional sports union that protects the best interests and welfare of all NFL players. It serves as the exclusive bargaining agent for all NFL players in collective bargaining. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA is governed by a Board of Player Representatives, acting in accordance with the NFLPA Constitution and federal labor laws. The NFLPA’s responsibilities include: Representing all players in matters concerning wages, hours and working conditions and protecting their rights as professional football players; ensuring that the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement are met; negotiating and monitoring retirement and insurance benefits; providing other member services and activities; providing assistance to charitable and community organizations; enhancing and defending the image of players and their profession, on and off the field. For more information, visit www.NFLPlayers.com.
About Orlando HealthOrlando Health is a $1.9 billion not-for-profit health care organization and a community-based network of hospitals and care centers throughout Central Florida. The organization, which includes the area’s only Level One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics, is a statutory teaching hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. They are: Orlando Regional Medical Center; Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children; Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies; Dr. P. Phillips Hospital; South Seminole Hospital; Health Central Hospital, South Lake Hospital (50 percent affiliation); St. Cloud Regional Medical Center (20 percent affiliation) and MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando – the first affiliate of one of the nation’s premier cancer centers, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Orlando Health’s areas of clinical excellence are heart and vascular, cancer care, neurosciences, surgery, pediatric orthopedics and sports medicine, neonatology, and obstetrics and gynecology.
# # #
RSS