Mercy Health Partners with Little Miami Schools

Mercy Health, which has a long history of partnering with the communities it serves to help residents be well, announces that it has partnered with Little Miami Schools to promote the health and wellness of the school’s student athletes and also to create and staff a school-based health center at Little Miami High School.

“Academic and athletic excellence are hallmarks of Little Miami Schools and the Panthers pride themselves on succeeding in the classroom and on the field,” said Pat Davis-Hagens, Mercy Health Central Market President and CEO. “Mercy Health is proud to partner with Little Miami Schools to provide all students, including student athletes, with the best quality care.”

“We have stood on the sidelines for too long and watched other districts as they have entered into great corporate partnerships like the one we now have established with Mercy Health,” said Superintendent Greg Power. “This partnership benefits all students, not just our athletes. Good health plays a strong role in our children’s ability to succeed and grow and our partnership with Mercy Health ensures that our students have access to great care on and off the field.”

“I am excited for our Panther athletes and our community as we begin this new partnership with Mercy Health,” said Athletic Director Tiffany Sawyer. “Our athletes deserve this and the relationship is another way we can take our athletic program to the next level.”

In addition to caring for student athletes, Mercy Health will open its fifth school-based health center within a Little Miami building. The new center joins Mercy Health’s school-based health centers located at Sayler Park School, Mt. Washington School, Silverton Paideia Academy and Pleasant Hill Academy. Available services will include primary care, prescriptions, immunizations, counseling and mental health evaluations and more. Additional details will be forthcoming.

Mercy Health will also provide two certified athletic trainers to serve as the primary athletic trainers for Little Miami High School and Middle School. Mercy Health Physician and sports medicine specialist Edward Marcheschi, MD will serve as Little Miami’s team physician. The athletic trainer will work under the advice and counsel of the team physician.

The athletic trainer provides a comprehensive array of services to promote and ensure the safety of Little Miami High School's student athletes, including:

• Managing and overseeing the athletic training room
• Advising the school on the supplies and training equipment needed for the athletic training program
• Assisting faculty and athletic coaching staff in the design and implementation of a student athletic training program and continuing education program and other related health and wellness programs as needed by the school, including providing speakers to address relevant topics for career days, etc.
• Providing strength, conditioning and flexibility training suggestions and programs to the coaching staff through the advice of a certified strength and conditioning specialist and with the consent of the Team Physician
• Monitoring athletic injuries and developing injury prevention training and programs with the advice and consent of the team physician
• Coordinating and providing injury follow-up and evaluation with the physicians of Mercy Health
• Providing and arranging all coverage for a wide array of sports, including soccer, volleyball and basketball games, tournaments, events and practices, throughout the school year
• Providing all pre-season sports physicals
• Providing priority appointments for injured athletes
• Providing Saturday walk-in clinics through the Fall sports season
• Providing Sportsmetrics (tm), an ACL injury prevention program 

In addition, the physician will provide direct orthopaedic care for athletic injuries and injury prevention training for the athletes. The partnership gives Little Miami High School athletes preferred access to treatment, diagnostic equipment such as x-rays or CAT scans and physical therapy options.