Student-Athletes Score Free Physicals at North Oaks Sports Medicine Physical Day

Champ Cooper Elementary School Basketball Coach Casper Jackson attended North Oaks Health System’s 28th Annual Sports Medicine Physical Day early May 11 with five of his players before they competed in a tournament an hour later.

“They got in quickly. I observed them (getting physicals) and it was a thorough job,” Jackson shared. “I was very pleased. When you combine good service with efficient service, it’s great!”

Champ Cooper was one of 31 schools throughout Tangipahoa and Livingston parishes receiving free physicals for 1,187 student-athletes.

Nineteen doctors and eight nurse practitioners, along with 120 employees, volunteered for the event on the North Oaks Medical Center campus.

In 1991, North Oaks began sponsoring Physical Day with the goal of helping students fulfill Louisiana High School Athletic Association requirements for participation in school athletic programs.

For the first time, Donna Sanchez brought her son, Trevor, a freshman football player at Springfield High School, and agreed the event was efficiently run.

“We were finished in about 35 minutes,” she commented. “I was surprised that he went through that quickly.”

Andrea Schembre, a Ponchatoula Junior High School cheerleader co-sponsor, arrived at 7:30 a.m. But it was worth getting up early on a Saturday morning to provide “everyone the opportunity to get a physical and to be sure they participate in sports.”

Those who volunteered in the four-hour event included: Drs. Greg Allen, Brandon Cambre, Michael Cordone, D’Antoni Dennis, Charles Ducombs, Jherie Ducombs, Stephen Graham, Joseph Heneghan, Alyssa Lyon, Gary Mall, Corey Majors, Robert McAfee, Jaques Peltier, Robert Peltier, Juan Martinez, Farhan Siddiqui, Drazen Sosic and Jeff Witty; and Nurse Practitioners Jodee Bernier, Jennifer Bouffard, Michelle Civello, Alexis Dominguez, April McIntyre, Jacob Neal, Shahrzad Talebinejad,Leslie Wood and Judy Yaple.

The free physical screenings offered annually are just one benefit of enrollment in the North Oaks Sports Medicine Program.

For more information, call (985) 230-5248.