MPM Helps Pinellas County Student Athletes Get Needed Health Screenings

CLEARWATER, Fla. (March 27, 2017)-- Morton Plant Mease’s sports medicine program will offer free sports physicals to student athletes Saturday, April 15 from 8 a.m. to Noon, in the gymnasium at Palm Harbor University High School, 1900 Omaha St., Palm Harbor, FL. For more than 16 years, the health system has provided free sports physicals to approximately 9,000 student athletes.

Morton Plant Mease physicians, certified athletic trainers, and physical therapists will check students’ height, weight, blood pressure, lungs, musculoskeletal system and vision. Students who wear glasses or contact lenses should bring them.

If the exam indicates a student athlete has a medical condition and needs additional treatment, doctors will refer the student to a Morton Plant Mease specialist for follow-up at a later date.

The sports physicals will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Students under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian or come with a pre-signed registration form.

The Florida High School Athletic Association requires all high school students to have a current sports physical (less than a year old) before participating in athletic games or practices.

The annual sports physicals are part of the athletic training outreach program, which is a partnership between Morton Plant Mease Health Care and the Pinellas County School System.  Morton Plant Mease’s sports medicine program also partners with Pinellas County Schools to offer concussion screenings for student athletes at some schools as part of the ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) program.

The exams done by Morton Plant Mease are complimentary; however, a $15 fee will be collected by some schools to support their booster clubs.

For more information about the free sports physicals event, please call (727) 462-7861.

About Morton Plant Mease
Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals – Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey. For more information about Morton Plant Mease, go to www.baycare.org/about-us/morton-plant-mease.

About BayCare Health System
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care, and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned, health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.