Jan 29, 2015All-In-One Facility
The University of Iowa’s homecoming weekend earlier this month also marked the opening of its brand new sports medicine center. The Institute for Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation is a one-stop shop on Iowa’s campus for patients of all ages–and a sign that the trend of housing multiple medical amenities in one building is quickly becoming mainstream.
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University officials cut the ribbon on the $6 million, 26,000 square-foot facility on Oct. 9 and held an open house the next day so the college community and area residents could take a peek inside the LEED-certified building. The Institute places an emphasis on sports medicine, but is open to athletes and non-athletes alike, both from the campus community and the general public.
“This is one of those exciting events that makes you very proud to be a part of the University of Iowa,” Joseph Buckwalter, MD, Professor and Head of Orthopaedic Surgery at UI, told the Gazette. “It’s providing a service not only to the university and its community, but also the community around Iowa City and the state.”
Almost 7,500 square feet is devoted to rehabilitation services, and includes a hydrotherapy pool. All patients will have access to rehabilitation services like custom orthotics, athletic shoewear modification and bracing, and training aids. And Hawkeye athletes will also see some new performance enhancement programs.
The Institute also caters to other specialties, including children’s injuries and orthopedic subspecialty clinics devoted to treating disorders of the hand, shoulder, foot, and ankle. Iowa officials said in a press release that the one-stop shop for patients underscores the center’s multidisciplinary approach to sports medicine by allowing patients to have all their needs met under one roof.
Earlier this year, T&C found that some colleges (and even high schools) are going a similar route to Iowa’s by bringing multiple medical amenities together in one facility. Our article titled Coming Together profiled three schools that have hooked up with local physicians’ offices to set up agreements that put everything from rehab equipment to x-ray capabilities to athletic training facilities in one place. UI’s new facility shows that the trend doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Abigail Funk is an Assistant Editor at Training & Conditioning.
