UofL Health, a fully integrated regional academic health system affiliated with the University of Louisville School of Medicine, has been named as the Official Health Care Provider for the Louisville Cardinals.

“This is an exciting day for the University of Louisville,” said Josh Heird, vice president/director of Athletics. “Our number one priority will always the well-being of our student-athletes and whenever we can create a partnership that provides our student-athletes with world-class services, we want to celebrate it. The commitment UofL Health is making to our student-athletes and our department will allow us to be a national leader in the medical and mental health care we provide our student-athletes.”

The new partnership that extends for eight years addresses medical coverage for all 23 UofL sports programs, plus basic training coverage for the Cardinals’ cheer and dance teams. There will be a comprehensive brand presence for UofL Health throughout Louisville Athletics facilities.

“Academic health care offers unique advantages, especially for world-class athletes like those at UofL. Our sports medicine team understands the complexities needed to keep athletes at the top of their game,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “We have been taking care of the Cardinal athletes since the 1980s, starting with the innovative sports medicine program developed by Dr. Raymond Shea. There was a brief hiatus from the sidelines for some of our providers, but we never stopped providing care and this agreement formally puts us all back on one team for the benefit of the athletes, our university and our community.”

The level of support for Cardinal student-athletes will significantly increase with added personnel as well as health and performance equipment upgrades.Ìý UofL Health will provide access to its network of sports health physicians, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists and primary care providers.

“Maintaining good health is essential for any athlete, especially student-athletes,” said Dr. Jennifer Daily, medical director of UofL Heath Sports Medicine. “We have the expertise, and we have technology, such as DARI which provides movement data analytics to help athletes regain their game. We also have the comprehensive resources to make sure they never lose ground in the classroom.”

Mental health services were a point of emphasis with the new partnership, with at least 10 dedicated mental health and mental performance professionals planned for UofL student-athletes, in addition to other generally available mental health services.Ìý Two dedicated staff members were in that role previously.

Also included are additional services and equipment for injury rehabilitation, medical coverage at athletics events, and supporting UofL’s new sports science department within athletics.

UofL Health is a regional academic health system with six hospitals, four medical centers, 200+ physician practice locations, 700+ providers, Frazier Rehab Institute, Brown Cancer Center and the Eye Institute.
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As part of the agreement, Norton Sports Health will provide medical support for all of the university’s 23 sports programs. This support includes conducting all sports physicals and providing access to Norton Healthcare’s network of sports health physicians, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists and primary care providers.
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“We’re looking forward to this partnership,” said Russell F. Cox, president and chief executive officer, Norton Healthcare. “Norton Sports Health offers comprehensive treatment for local athletes of all ages and skill levels. We look forward to supporting UofL and keeping its premier athletes in the game.”
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In addition to offering its team of health providers, Norton Sports Health also will provide funding for athletic trainers on the sidelines, campus training rooms and state-of-the-art imaging equipment.
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“The health and wellness of our players is our top priority. We’re excited to team up with Norton Healthcare, an organization that has proven to offer the same level of passion, drive and expertise as our athletes,” said UofL AD Vince Tyra.
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Care will extend beyond the physical as Norton Sports Health also will offer mental health services, including access to counseling and sports performance specialists.
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“Our goal is to care for the whole athlete,” said Steven T. Hester, MD, MBA, division president, provider operations, and system chief medical officer, Norton Healthcare. “With our streamlined and comprehensive group of medical providers, we have the ability to provide the services athletes need both quickly and efficiently.”
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To support the process, all UofL athletes will have access toÌýÌýand Norton eCare visits. .Ìý

Zappos.com commits $1.5 millionÌý

Additionally,Zappos.com has committed $1.5 million to University of Louisville Athletics. The 5-year commitment will serve as the primary source for refurbishing the approximately 37,800 lower bowl seats at Cardinal Stadium.

Those seats were part of the original equipment installed during the 1998 stadium construction.ÌýThroughout the past 21 years, weather has faded the seats from their original red color. An industrial UV protective coating will be applied on the existing seats through a special process to restore the color and strengthen the seats. With the cost to replace the seats estimated to be more than $6.5 million, the UV coating is a valid solution.Ìý

As part of the commitment, the Zappos name will be emblazoned above the Cardinal Stadium field suites.Ìý

In conjunction with the seat-coating project, all of the 3,000 bucket-style seats in Ulmer Stadium (softball) and Jim Patterson Stadium (baseball) will be replaced with new slat-back seats. About 1,000 of the extracted seats will also be coated with the UV protection and kept in storage as reserve stock for Cardinal Stadium.
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“Being a good community member is extremely important to us and that includes our family here in Kentucky,” said Justin Brown, senior director of Operations at Zappos.com.Ìý “Since we’re a company obsessed with providing the best customer service, what better way than contributing to their comfort while coming out to cheer on our Cardinals.”

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