St. Anthony Hospital Announces Partnership For River Sport Athletes

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY- St. Anthony Hospital announced a partnership today with Oklahoma City University and the National High Performance Center to provide professional hospital services and physician care for river sport athletes who train at the Devon Boathouse on the Oklahoma River. St. Anthony has also committed to a donation to the Devon Boathouse over the next five years.

An announcement ceremony was also held today at the construction site of Devon Boathouse.

"St. Anthony is pleased to partner and support the National High Performance Center at the Devon Boathouse. We are excited to be a part of the sport bringing Olympic athletes to our thriving city. The growth and development of sports on the river also serve to emphasize the number of positive, healthy activities available in our community," said Joe Hodges, president.

As the official medical provider for the High Performance Center, St. Anthony will provide three physicians and services of the hospital to help athletes stay healthy and maximize their performance while training to compete at the highest levels. The physician team will consist of two family medicine doctors and a sports medicine specialist.

Mike Knopp, head coach of the OCU rowing team and executive director of the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, and Shaun Caven, coach of the OCU canoe/kayak team, stressed the importance of having physicians and medical professionals available during rigorous training regiments.

"These athletes, many of them potential Olympians, require more attention to their health than most people," Knopp said. "Proper care can make the difference between winning a world championship and ending a career due to injury."

Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Jason Emerson, D.O., along with family medicine doctors Jeffrey Hirsch, M.D., and TiTi Nguyen, M.D., all members of Saints Medical Group, will be the medical staff members at Devon Boathouse when it opens in October. The $10 million boathouse will feature state-of-the-art training equipment including an indoor propulsion rowing tank and hyperbaric chamber.