UF Health joins U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Network to provide care to Team USA athletes
Health News, Sept. 15, 2023
By Gary Mans
Gainesville, Florida - Building on a long history of providing health care to athletes at the University of Florida and beyond, UF Health today joins a select group of health organizations providing care to Team USA athletes as they prepare for international competition, including the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Elite competitors overcome many challenges to reach the pinnacle of their sport, some of them health and/or injury-related. While their success is often predicated on perseverance, dedication and commitment — qualities at the core of UF Health, the University of Florida’s academic health center — access to world-class health care is also critically important.
As a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Network, UF Health will offer advanced resources and services to athletes from across the nation, as well as research and professional collaboration with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and other providers.
“In athletic endeavors, athletes participating on the international stage are the epitome of excellence,” said UF President Ben Sasse. “Our selection as a member of the USOPC’s medical network, providing health care for members of Team USA and those aspiring to represent Team USA in the future, reflects the excellent health care we provide through UF Health.”
Developing a network of specialized medical providers helps the USOPC fulfill its mission of empowering Team USA athletes to achieve sustained competitive excellence and well-being.
“We strive to deliver world-class, comprehensive health care to Team USA athletes, which wouldn’t be possible without the support, dedication and expertise of our U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Network partners,” said USOPC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathan Finnoff. “As a health care leader in the southeast United States and home to many Team USA athletes over the years, we’re thrilled to welcome UF Health as the newest member of this established group of premier medical providers who care for the unique needs of Team USA athletes.”
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Medical Network provides medical care to Team USA athletes through top-tier medical providers with proven expertise in sports medicine. Providers invited to join the medical network must have a strong history in the following areas to qualify: multidisciplinary care; sporting event coverage; and screening, prevention and performance services.
The agreement between the USOPC and UF Health is for two years.
“It is an honor for all of us at UF Health that the USOPC entrusts us with providing health care to athletes who aspire to represent our nation in international competition,” said David R. Nelson, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs at UF and president of UF Health. “What is equally rewarding is knowing that we champion health care for all, not just for champions. Everyone who comes to us every day is provided the highest possible quality care — the same care we will be providing these outstanding athletes.”
To help ensure athletes’ success, UF Health will contribute significant funds annually to the USOPC that will support athlete-centered programs.
UF Health becomes the eighth member of the medical network, and the first in the southeastern U.S., where many Team USA athletes live and train.
The other members of the network are Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston; The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado; Adirondack Health and Lake Placid Sports Medicine in Lake Placid, New York; Colorado Center of Orthopaedic Excellence and UC Health in Colorado Springs; and University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City.
About USOPC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. The USOPC is focused on protecting, supporting and empowering America’s athletes, and is responsible for fielding U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, and serving as the steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements in the U.S. For more information, visit USOPC.org.
About University of Florida Health
UF Health is a world-class academic health center that combines leading-edge research at campuses around Florida with outstanding clinical care at a network of hospitals around the state. The flagship is UF Health Shands Hospital, part of Florida’s preeminent health system, with nine adult and pediatric specialties ranked among the nation’s elite top 50 programs in the 2023-24 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals and Best Children’s Hospitals surveys.
With main campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville as well as satellite sites in Central Florida and several other locations, UF Health provides quality health care to patients across the nation’s third-most populous state. UF Health consists of six health colleges, 10 research centers and institutes, 11 hospitals — including two teaching hospitals and five specialty hospitals — and a host of physician medical practices and outpatient services.