PMC-ISU partnership to bolster Bengal athletes’ medical care, add to providers on sidelines
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POCATELLO — A new partnership between Idaho State University and Portneuf Medical Center will add to the healthcare providers in attendance at the university’s sporting events.
Less than a week after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had his life saved by medical staff on the field in Cincinnati, the Pocatello hospital officially announced a partnership with ISU.
Through this new partnership, the Portneuf Medical Group will provide ISU student-athletes with any and all medical care available through its system. And, according to Dr. Tony Joseph, a sports medicine physician at Portneuf Medical Group’s OrthoIdaho, as part of the partnership ISU will have care providers on the sidelines at Bengals games.
“We’re proud to become the official sports medicine provider for ISU athletics, and we look forward to bringing high-quality sports medicine and orthopedic services to the team,” PMC CEO Jordan Herget said in a news release from the hospital.
“We are incredibly fortunate to partner with Portneuf Medical Center,” ISU Athletic Director Pauline Thiros said in the same release. “We strive to be the best in everything we do — on the field, in the classroom, and in our support areas — and I know that our team of doctors meet that standard of excellence. This partnership will provide our athletes with world-class medical care for many years to come.”
OrthoIdaho is spearheading the the partnership, Joseph told EastIdahoNews.com.
“Anything within the scope of providers that PMC has, we’re making available to ISU, and expediting that (care),” he said. “But the highest demand is going to be orthopedics and sports medicine. From there, it does go into all other fields — including mental health.”
Speaking directly to incidents like the one involving the NFL and Hamlin, Jospeh said that OrthoIdaho employs a cardiologist who is also trained in sports-related injuries.
“The biggest thing is having preparedness for an emergency on the field,” he said. “That needs to be done with all the providers — the athletic trainers, the emergency personnel, the medical personnel — we’re all going to be involved in that.”
As Joseph explained, ISU employs its own sports medicine physician. But with more than 300 athletes representing 13 athletics programs, the demand was far too high for a single provider. So, the university opened a bidding process to the local hospitals.
Herget, Joseph said, met with hospital staff and determined that PMC offered the best partnership for ISU — with its proximity to the campus, extensive care options and level two trauma center.
Asked if this partnership will involve students in ISU College of Health, Joseph explained that ISU is a year or two from launching a sports medicine fellowship. Students within that fellowship, he added, will receive training opportunities linked to the athletic department through ISU’s medical staff.
“That’s only going to be strengthened by its association with Portneuf Medical Center, because they’ll see a full spectrum of treatment of athletes,” Joseph said.
With the announcement of the partnership from PMC came confirmation of its further commitment to the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25.
In the 11 years PMC has not been partnered with ISU, Portneuf has developed a “very robust program” of care with PCSD25, PMC spokeswoman Mary Keating told EastIdahoNews.com. That program will continue.
“One of the things that we made known is that, we did not want our partnership with the school district to lessen in any way,” Joseph added.
“We are committed to our purpose of creating healthy communities together and this partnership enables us to extend our care to student-athletes,” Herget said in the release. “We are eager to join the Bengals on the field of play and help ensure they are able to compete at the highest level.”