USTA forges medical partnership
May 19, 2016
ORLANDO, Fla. – The United States Tennis Association (USTA) today announced a comprehensive multi-tiered partnership with the Andrews Institute and Nemours Children’s Health System that will provide the highest level of medical services to the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Orlando, Fla., as well as enable USTA Player Development to provide the premier medical care and athletic training in the world to U.S. players training at the new facility. In addition, this relationship will make an impact beyond the tennis court, with all three entities working together to create programming and services that will afford the youth of the Central Florida area the opportunity to participate in and benefit from a healthy and active lifestyle.
Through this relationship, Andrews and Nemours will provide a designated Team Physician, Medical Team, Program Director of Athletic Training, and Athletic Trainers that will be responsible for medical services and care provided to visiting athletes, coaches, administrators, and spectators. In addition, the Team Physician will serve as the official medical consultant for USTA Player Development, which is charged with identifying and developing the next generation of American champions.
As part of this relationship, the “Nemours/Andrews Family Zone” will be created at the USTA National Campus, which will feature eight 36’ and eight 60’ courts. These courts are sized to make tennis more accessible to beginners, with equipment, both racquets and balls, matching the skill level, as well. The area will serve as a way for families, children, and beginners to enter the sport of tennis in an easy, fun, and accessible manner.
In-line with this vision of making tennis accessible to all, Andrews, Nemours, and the USTA will collaborate to create programming that will reach the local community. The emphasis of these programs will be ensuring that children gain access to healthy lifestyle opportunities, from medical treatment and training, to activity and play, on and off the tennis court. This unique ability to combine the strengths of these medical and sports entities to impact the local community is the perfect example of what has been made possible in Lake Nona, with the creation and close proximity of Lake Nona Medical City and the Sports & Performance District.
Andrews and Nemours will have prominent exposure throughout the 64-acre facility, including on the two central Championship Courts, which each have seating planned for up to 500 spectators. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to activate at a variety of events throughout the calendar year, and have the ability to provide messaging in a variety of print and digital assets.
“To create the model tennis facility that we are building at the USTA National Campus, we need to not only have the highest quality courts and facilities, but also the highest level of services for our players and guests,” said Katrina Adams, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA. “By partnering with Nemours Children’s Health System and the Andrews Institute, we are teaming with two of the most respected brands in medicine. Nemours is one of the nation’s leading pediatric health systems with deep expertise in orthopaedics, and there is no question that the Andrews team brings unrivaled expertise in the realm of sports medicine and the enhancement of athletic performance.”
“Dr. Andrews and the Andrews Institute are recognized national leaders in sports medicine,” said Robert Bridges, chief executive of Florida operations for Nemours Children’s Health System. “Nemours began as a pediatric orthopaedic hospital and has expanded that legacy with a world-class team. Together with Andrews Institute, I know we can make an impact for young athletes and the USTA.”
Nemours Children’s Health System includes Nemours Children’s Hospital, which opened in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City in October, 2012. The 100 bed academic medical center focuses on pediatric specialty care, research and education. In Central Florida, Nemours owns and operates 23 other care locations including primary, specialty and urgent care centers. Nemours is an internationally recognized children’s health system that also owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., along with major pediatric specialty clinics in Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Throughout the system, Nemours cares for 300,000 children each year.
Under the leadership and reputation of internationally renowned orthopaedic sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews, the Andrews Institute provides a spectrum of services in order for patients to quickly and accurately address their orthopaedic needs. Located in Gulf Breeze, Fla., and encompassing nearly 127,000 square feet, the Andrews Institute is filled with dedicated research laboratories as well as education and conference facilities plus its numerous multi-specialty clinical departments to compliment the services of its 40 affiliated physicians to provide an all-inclusive continuum of care. The Andrews Institute mission is to provide the best medical care for the musculoskeletal system, using the latest innovative clinical and surgical technologies, and to improve patient care through research and education with an emphasis on prevention.
The USTA broke ground on the USTA National Campus, the new Home of American Tennis, in April 2015 at the Lake Nona Sports & Performance District. A model tennis facility, the USTA National Campus, to be completed in late 2016, will feature more than 100 tennis courts and will be divided into areas that focus on the complete tennis pathway. Open to the public, the USTA National Campus will be able to accommodate family outings, clinics, camps, leagues and every type of tennis competition and program, from youth tennis events to age-based national championships. Collegiate tennis will be a staple, with the USTA National Campus serving as the home of the University of Central Florida’s men’s and women’s tennis teams, as well as hosting collegiate tournaments. The USTA’s Community Tennis and Player Development divisions, which focus on strengthening the game’s grass roots and developing the next generation of American champions, will also be housed on the site, incorporating the latest technology and equipment to assist with advanced training techniques, sports science, coaching education and improved athletic performance.
About the USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 715,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Emirates Airline US Open Series, linking seven summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships and helps under-resourced youth and individuals with disabilities, and supports wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and their families. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page, facebook.com/usta, or follow @usta on Twitter.
About Nemours
Nemours is an internationally recognized children’s health system that owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Del., along with major pediatric specialty clinics in Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 2012, it opened the full-service Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando. Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, Nemours offers pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy and prevention programs to all families in the communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.
About the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
Located minutes from Pensacola, Fla. in Gulf Breeze, the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine provides world-class care and service for the athlete in everyone. The Institute features more than 40 physicians and medical experts providing best-in-class service in specialties ranging from orthopaedics and sports medicine to joint care and neurosurgery, and is accessible to everyone. It is the world’s only facility offering research facilities, surgery, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation and athletic performance training all on one campus. The one-of-a-kind center focuses on the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries while using the expertise of nationally and internationally renowned orthopaedic surgeon James Andrews, M.D. Dr. Andrews is best known as the physician to some of sport’s greatest professional athletes. For additional information, visit AndrewsInstitute.com.