EDINBURG – UT Health RGV, the clinical practice of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, has formed a partnership with the UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to offer health care services to the university's student-athletes.
 
As part of the agreement, Jimmy Gonzales, MD, clinical assistant professor of Family Medicine, has been appointed as the university's NCAA Health Care Administrator for UTRGV Athletics.
 
"We are delighted to offer health care services to our student-athletes," said John H. Krouse, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. "UT Health RGV is committed to providing the best care to all our students, so that they succeed on and off the court, field or other playing venue."
 
Under the agreement, UT Health RGV providers will handle all aspects of health care services for student-athletes, including:
 

• Sideline coverage for all full-contact and collision sports, such as men's and women's basketball and soccer;
• At minimum, on-call coverage for all non-contact and limited-contact collision sports, including men's and women's golf, track and field, cross country and baseball and women's volleyball; 
• Two scheduled half-day clinic sessions per week at UTRGV Athletics' training facilities.

 
The agreement also calls for integrating sports medicine services at UT Health RGV's primary care site on Jackson Road, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2019, and establishing a sports medicine fellowship program to train primary care physicians in sports medicine.
 
"The partnership with UT Health RGV serves to further elevate our investment in student health and welfare for our student-athletes," UTRGV Director of Athletic Chris King said. "The partnership provides direct access to medical services, as UT Health RGV team doctors and providers will handle health care services for our student-athletes. UT Health RGV has already made a big impact within our community and intercollegiate athletics is excited to extend that impact to all of our student-athletes."

Support UTRGV Athletics | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube