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Dr. Judson L. Penton, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine
with North Oaks Orthopaedic Specialty Center, screens Sydney Gregoire
at North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day on April 21. Sydney is a cheerleader
at St. Joseph School in Ponchatoula.
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Physical Day Volunteer Amy Riehlmann performs a height check on Tony McCrea,
a member of the Southeastern Louisiana University football team. Riehlmann
is one of nearly 70 North Oaks Health System employees who volunteered
to help with North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day on April 21.
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[HAMMOND, La.]–Nearly 1,100 student-athletes from 20 Tangipahoa Parish public and
private schools and Southeastern Louisiana University received complimentary
physical examinations at North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day on Saturday,
April 21. The volunteer efforts of 24 physicians and nurse practitioners,
68 North Oaks employees, and 33 athletic trainers and athletic training
education student volunteers from Southeastern Louisiana University made
this community benefit possible.
North Oaks sponsored the 21st annual event to help junior high and high
school student-athletes and their families fulfill Louisiana High School
Athletic Association requirements.
Independence High School Football Coach Keith Carona comments, “The
ability to get all of our physicals done in 1 day makes it easier for
the school, students and parents.”
Ponchatoula High School Football Coach Hank Tierney agrees and adds, “It
is a great comfort to me as a coach to know that the health of our players
is in the hands of such a competent and professional group.”
First-time physician volunteer, Dr. Judson L. Penton, who is an orthopaedic
surgeon specializing in sports medicine at North Oaks Orthopaedic Specialty
Center, observes, “In my fellowship training, I was part of other
large-scale sports medicine screening events, and this Physical Day was
one of the most well-run I’ve experienced. The number of participating
athletes and schools speaks volumes about the quality of the North Oaks
Sports Medicine program and how well-respected the staff is in the community.”
It’s all about making sure our student-athletes are healthy to compete
in the upcoming school year,” explains Jeff Schmitt, Head Athletic
Trainer/Supervisor for North Oaks Sports Medicine.
Due to the growth of the program over the past 2 decades, the annual event
was relocated this year from Hammond Park Professional Building to the
Diagnostic Center and Orthopaedic Specialty Center in the new Clinic Building
on the North Oaks Medical Center campus.
“The core of the North Oaks Sports Medicine Program is community,”
comments Wende Powell and Shonda Kinnison of Ponchatoula. “From
the athletic trainers present at school-sponsored games and practices
to the highly accessible clinic staff, skilled physicians and dedicated
rehab therapists, our children have been treated like family with compassion
and professionalism. The entire Sports Medicine Program has exceeded our
expectations for patient care and is a tremendous asset to our community.”
Powell’s son and daughter attend St. Thomas Aquinas High School
in Hammond; Austen plays football and power-lifts, and Payten plays volleyball.
Kinnison’s daughter Taylor plays basketball at Ponchatoula High School.
As the official health care provider of Southeastern Athletics, North
Oaks also provided physical exams to collegiate athletes at the event.
“Physical Day is an incredibly important and beneficial service
to Lions Athletics,” affirms Cary Berthelot, Head Athletic Trainer
of Southeastern Louisiana University. “Our student-athletes receive
first-rate physical evaluations and screenings for potential injuries
and other health-related concerns. Plus our athletic training education
students get the opportunity to interact with a variety of medical professionals.”
In addition to Physical Day, North Oaks Sports Medicine cares for student-athletes
on the playing field and beyond by providing: injury prevention and athletic
ability enhancement education; athletic trainers on-site at many schools-sponsored
sporting events; a free clinic for athletes at participating schools to
assess injuries in a timely manner; as well as treatment and rehabilitation
for injuries that occur during school-sponsored events.
Area physicians who volunteered at Physical Day include: Drs. Mark Daunis,
David Doan, Michael Drapcho, Bryan Dudoussat, Steve Gaudin, J. Gregory
Kinnett, Brian Ladner, Christina Leal, Chris Leumas, Gary Mall, Robert
Peltier, Judson Penton, William Plunkett, Howard Raphael, Edmund Spiller,
Jean Tran, Ivan Villalta and John Walker Jr. Nurse Practitioners include:
Jennifer Burtch, Sandy Capps, Jean Genzale-Bertrand, Erika Oliver, Trenna
Richard and Deborah Sellers.
The North Oaks team is looking forward to hosting a Sports Medicine Physical
Day for Livingston Parish schools on Saturday, May 5 at the North Oaks-Livingston
Parish Medical Complex.
To learn more about North Oaks Sports Medicine, please call (985) 230-5248.