For Immediate Release
Contact: Derek Berry
Hospitals provide certified athletic trainers and physicians during games
Washington, DC – March 23, 2009 – All athletes, whether professional or amateur, will be injured at some point. Having a certified athletic trainer and a team physician can help treat minor or severe injuries and also help reduce the occurrence of aggravating any injuries.
National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) Regional Rehab Sports Medicine and Montgomery General Hospital Sports Medicine are providing the Washington Freedom women’s professional soccer team with a certified athletic trainer and a team physician for the 2009 season. They are also providing a certified athletic trainer for the Washington Freedom W-League team, which is part of the USL, an amateur soccer league that competes during the summer. The Freedom W-league is a “feeder program” for the professional league.
“We feel fortunate to be part of the Washington Freedom's formula for success. As part of the community, we welcome the return of Women's Professional Soccer to the United States, and particularly to our region through the Washington Freedom organization. As a sports medicine provider, we are committed to providing the athletes with the highest quality of medical care, athletic training services, physical therapy and a focus on injury prevention to assist them in reaching their goals,” says John Brickley, NRH Vice President, Outpatient Network.
"The Washington Freedom is proud to elevate our relationship with NRH and Montgomery General from our exceptional experience over the past two years,” says Kristen Angelone, Freedom Director of Sponsorship Sales. “It will now encompass both our W-League team as well as our WPS team, the highest level of women's professional soccer in the U.S. We trust our all our players will receive the world class care they deserve."
NRH Regional Rehab Sports Medicine and Montgomery General Hospital Sports Medicine have worked with the Washington Freedom for the past few years; however, this month launched the partnership that made them the official sports medicine providers of the Washington Freedom.
NRH is a private, not-for-profit facility located in Northwest Washington, D.C. NRH’s services are designed specifically for the rehabilitation of individuals with disabling injuries and illnesses such as stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury and disease, arthritis, amputations, post-polio syndrome, chronic pain, back and neck pain, occupational injuries, cancer and cardiac disease that require medical rehabilitation, and other neurological and orthopedic conditions. NRH admits approximately 2,200 inpatients annually, has appeared on the “Best Hospitals” list in U.S. News & World Report for 14 consecutive years and is currently ranked among the top hospitals for medical rehabilitation in America. NRH has the only CARF accredited specialty program for both Spinal Cord Injury and Stroke in the region. In addition, NRH’s Spinal Cord Injury Program has been designated one of only 14 Model SCI Systems of care in the country by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a part of the Department of Education. NRH is a proud member of MedStar Health.
The Washington Freedom returns to action in 2009 as a charter member of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). The Freedom will be one of seven franchises in 2009, with Atlanta and Philadelphia scheduled to join WPS in 2010. The Washington Freedom begins play in the WPS having already established a tradition of excellence over the past eight years. Playing its first match in 2001 as a charter member of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA), the Freedom advanced to the Founders Cup (the league’s championship game) in 2002 and 2003, winning the title in 2003.
Montgomery General Hospital is a not-for-profit community hospital located in Olney, Maryland that serves the greater Baltimore and Washington metro areas. Services include, among others, pediatrics, obstetrics, surgery, diabetes center, cancer, addiction and mental health treatment, physical and occupational therapy, community health education, emergency services, critical care, cancer treatment, home health care, employee assistance programs and a 24-hour physician referral service.