CHRISTUS Health offers student-athletes free sports physicals
TYLER, Texas (KETK) — CHRISTUS Health will offer free sports physicals for more than 3,000 area student-athletes on Friday.
“Many of our children still do not get an annual physical,” said Jim Rapp, director, CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute. “This is an opportunity to identify potentially treatable underlying conditions to ensure participation in activities in a safe manner.”
More than 10,000 student-athletes will be helped, including many from the following schools and districts:
- All Saints
- Arp
- Big Sandy
- Bishop T.K. Gorman
- Chapel Hill
- Cumberland Academy
- Grace
- Harmony
- Hawkins
- Lindale
- Mineola
- West Rusk
- Whitehouse
- Winona
“As kids age and mature during their teenage years, their body structure changes and, in some cases, previously unidentified conditions may arise, such as heart murmur, asthma or other physiological disorders,” Rapp said.
The student-athletes are required by The University Interscholastic League (UIL) and Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAAPS) to have their medical history form signed before participating. All schools have been given the paperwork to send home with students in order to be filled out beforehand.
“Our aim is to identify any issues, so that the correct course of action can be taken, and we potentially avoid any issues once the season starts. This is why physicals are mandated,” Rapp said.
For students unable to attend, they will need to get a physical from their personal medical provider before the season starts.
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