Feb 23, 2018Hospital Partnership
Last week, Logansport (Ind.) Community School Corp and Logansport Memorial Hospital announced a partnership. According to the Pharos-Tribune, the hospital will supply $500,000 worth of medical care over the next 10 years, while the school will rename Berry Stadium to Logansport Memorial Hospital Stadium.
Perry Gay, President and CEO of Logansport Memorial Hospital, issued a press release saying that his hospital wanted a greater relationship with area schools.
“This partnership will allow for us to have a visible presence in the physical facilities,” Gay said in the press release, “and also complements the presence our providers will have in working directly with the student athletes at various sporting events.”
Brian Strong, Athletic Director for Logansport Community School Corp, said that because Tom Evanich is planning to retire from his role as the corporation’s athletic trainer, they need to find a replacement. Strong said that while he was pleased with Evanich and his employer, Northcentral Indiana Sports Medical Center, Logansport’s ability to provide multiple athletic trainers at no cost would be best for the student-athletes.
“When you can get a savings like that and still get good quality services, I think that was one of the main reasons why we went that direction,” Strong said. “It was a business decision. It wasn’t anything negative against Northcentral. It just comes down to a dollars and cents decision.”
Strong said the decision to change Berry Stadium’s name is “the way of the world.”
“We felt like it was a good decision, it was a local decision, it’s a local hospital — one that obviously has deep roots here in Logansport,” Strong said.
Michele Starkey, Superintendent for Logansport, said the school and the hospital’s missions complement each other.
“Both organizations seek to promote wellness and care for students in the community, so the partnership is a natural fit,” Starkey said in a press release.
Gay said the partnership would not only help student-athletes, but also students who visit the nurse’s office, and those who take part in the telehealth program.
“We may have been sitting on the sidelines the last few years, to use a sports analogy, but we’re here and we’re active and we want everybody to know that we consider ourselves the health care provider of Logansport School Corp.,” Gay said.
