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Community Health Network to provide sports medicine program for Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township; New services expand healthcare relationship with school system

For release on February 07, 2012

Indianapolis, IN---Students in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township will have access to a wide range of sports medicine programs and services provided by Community Health Network, beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. The school board recently voted to extend the current partnership between the MSD of Lawrence Township and Community to include the sports medicine program and services. The comprehensive range of medical services now available in the school district is unique to Central Indiana.

The sports medicine program is part of a broader relationship between Community Health Network and the school system. Community launched an employee health and wellness center for the MSD of Lawrence Township employees and their covered dependents in April of 2011. The center, located at 8501 East 56th Street, is housed in remodeled space at Community Health Pavilion-Fort Ben, and has a strong focus on wellness and disease prevention. Last July, Community Health Network hired the MSD of Lawrence Township school nurses to continue providing exceptional medical care for students, as well as enhancing the continuity of care with clinical education resources and support from the network.

The sports medicine program component calls for Community Health Network to provide athletic trainers to cover the school system’s middle and high schools, beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. A team physician will be available at each high school. Community will provide sports physicals to the middle and high schools. Other services will include a certified strength and conditioning coach at the high schools during the academic school year, as well as physical and occupational therapy available through Community’s outpatient Rehab & Sports Medicine Centers.

“It is thrilling to expand our long-standing partnership with Lawrence Township schools to the venue of sports medicine,” said Jon Fohrer, CEO of ambulatory services at Community Health Network. “The township has a long and storied history of athletic success and we look forward to working with its student athletes, as they continue on their path to excellence. Not only are these students shining stars within their sport, they can also be tremendous ambassadors in the community for healthy lifestyle choices.”

Community Health Network-employed nurses staff 20 school nurse clinics throughout Lawrence Township Schools. Community is providing additional nursing staff to support vacancies left by vacations and time off. The network also provides durable medical equipment to all the MSD of Lawrence Township school clinics, in-service educational seminars and support materials for nurses, and ensures proper state certification for all staff nurses.

"Lawrence Township is very pleased with the expansion of our Community Health Network partnership to include unprecedented nursing services for our children, said Joanie Emhardt, coordinator of health services for Lawrence Township schools. “Our nurses have become part of a larger team of professionals with access to resources that will ultimately improve the health and well-being of our students."

About Community Health Network
Ranked among the nation’s most integrated healthcare systems, Community Health Network is Central Indiana’s leader in providing convenient access to exceptional healthcare services, where and when patients need them—in hospitals, health pavilions and doctor’s offices, as well as workplaces, schools and homes. As a non-profit health system with over 100 sites of care and affiliates throughout Central Indiana, Community’s full continuum of care integrates hundreds of physicians, specialty and acute care hospitals, surgery centers, home care services, MedChecks, behavioral health and employer health services. To learn more, visit eCommunity.com or call 800-777-7775.

About the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
The ninth largest school district in the state, the MSD of Lawrence Township serves just under 16,000 students. Throughout Indiana, Lawrence Township is recognized as a “lighthouse” school district, a reputation built over the years based on the district’s award-winning staff, high-achieving students, supportive community, innovative educational programs, and nationally recognized character education initiative. Located in the northeast corner of the greater Indianapolis area, Lawrence is a residential suburban community of 95,000+ and home to Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park and Geist Reservoir. With families from widely diverse cultural, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds, the Lawrence community values and embraces diversity as one of its greatest strengths.

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Lynda de Widt, Media Relations
Lynda de Widt
Media Relations