Hoag Neurosciences Institute Collaborates with Cleveland Clinic to Assess and Improve Health of Former NFL Players
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., November 30, 2015 --- Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute has been selected by Cleveland Clinic as a West Coast location for the Brain and Body program provided through The Trust (Powered by the NFLPA). The goal of The Trust is to provide transitioning players with support to help ensure success off the field and in life after football. The Trust’s Brain and Body program is designed to assess health needs and provide world-class medical care to former NFL players.
“The region between San Diego and Los Angeles is a highly populated area of former players” notes Bahati Van Pelt, Executive Director of The Trust. “With this in mind, we added a medical partner in California to serve our members more efficiently.” For Jay Alberts, Ph.D., Director, Cleveland Clinic Concussion Center and Co-Director of the Cleveland Clinic Brain and Body program, Hoag is a natural partner. “Cleveland Clinic and Hoag share the same DNA. Working to replicate the Cleveland Clinic program and experience at Hoag is extremely efficient and I am confident we will achieve continuity of care whether former players come to one of the three Cleveland Clinic sites (Ohio, Florida and Nevada) or Hoag. Caregivers at both institutions are committed to delivering world class care,” said Alberts.
Collaborating with the Cleveland Clinic, Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute will offer comprehensive services aimed at enhancing the cognitive and physical well-being of former NFL players who have experienced many years of a physically demanding workplace. The services will be facilitated and provided by The Trust, an organization established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL, to aid a holistic approach to former player transition.
“We are pleased to be selected as the West Coast satellite location for our collaborative efforts with the Cleveland Clinic to optimize the health of former NFL players as part of The Trust,” said Michael Brant-Zawadzki, M.D., F.A.C.R., executive medical director of Hoag Neurosciences Institute and the Ron and Sandi Simon Endowed Chair. “This collaboration recognizes the advanced diagnostic capabilities and the clinical expertise available at Hoag as a trusted health care leader for advancing both cognitive and physical health.”
Players who participate in the Brain and Body program begin with a comprehensive medical history and exam that will include the player’s injury history, functional symptoms and personal concerns. They will also undergo a physical exam including musculoskeletal evaluation and blood tests, brain MRI, cognitive evaluations, psychological assessment, balance and sleep assessment, in addition to, nutrition counseling, and life skills consultation. The goal of The Trust’s Brain and Body program is to target and reduce potential health risks, promote overall wellness and successfully manage any uncovered health conditions through high-quality, readily accessible individualized care.
“By taking a proactive approach, this program can help retired players who may be facing increased health risks after transitioning from their work experience,” Brant-Zawadzki said. “The goal is to provide them best-practice information and wellness tools.”
ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN
Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 25,000 inpatients and 369,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to six health centers and eight urgent care centers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with St. Joseph Health to further expand health care services in the Orange County community, known as St. Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 20 consecutive years and, for an unprecedented 20 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.
ABOUT Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute
Delivering a personalized, integrated approach using best-practice guidelines, the most advanced technology, and integration of medical specialists in the most appropriate facilities, Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute provides the highest quality care for patients with brain and spine disorders including stroke, aneurysms and vascular malformations, brain tumors, epilepsy, movement disorders, memory and cognitive disorders, pain, minimally invasive spine surgery, multiple sclerosis, addiction medicine and sleep disorders, as well as the mind-body interface of behavioral health. Several of Hoag’s neuroscience programs have received high acclaim, including Hoag’s stroke program, which ranks among the top five percent in the nation and was awarded the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement for Hoag’s high standard of stroke care. And as one of the first centers in the U.S. to offer the most advanced radiosurgical treatment system available, Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, Hoag’s brain tumor program is the largest in Orange County and is also among the top volume programs in the western United States.
ABOUT THE TRUST (POWERED BY THE NFLPA)
The Trust is a set of resources, programs and services designed to provide former players with the support, skills and tools to help ensure success off the field and in life after football. The Trust emerged from the commitment of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and its members to ensure that players are provided access to benefits and services that assist in their success beyond the game of football. It culminates the hard-fought efforts of past and present CBA battles to better serve former NFL players. For more information, visit www.playerstrust.com. Follow The Trust on Twitter at @PlayersTrust and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/PlayersTrust.
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