UPMC's Saturday injury clinics for student-athletes begin this weekend
Injuries are a part of many sports, and UPMC is trying to help high school athletes get back to the games they love.
Nothing can derail a season for a team or a student-athlete like an injury. Starting this weekend, UPMC will do a Saturday injury clinic at its Washington facility. These will run through the end of October.
"Having them come in to be seen in person, we can develop a plan, get repeat X-rays or advanced imaging like an MRI or a CT scan, if need be, on a timely basis to ultimately give them that final diagnosis and that final treatment plan," UPMC orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Magister said.
The clinics will be a walk-in setup to help evaluate and give treatment to athletes ages 10 to 26 with recent injuries. UPMC said the injuries should be sports-related and have happened within the past three days of the clinic. It aimed to help more than just football injuries. No appointment is required.
"We expanded to three days just to allow for more things that can kind of trickle in. Patients who are in other types of sports not necessarily related to football," Dr. Magister said.
With UPMC having a greater presence in Washington County, the goal is to make it easier to have access to care that otherwise would have meant more travel.
"We've seen this as a great opportunity to expand our care and open up the opportunities to see patients locally because I think that's ultimately what patients want. And it ultimately improves their outcomes to be able to be seen quickly, efficiently," Dr. Magister said over Zoom.
Anyone looking to attend the clinics should get there between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. to register and make sure they can be seen. Patients are asked to bring insurance cards and be prepared for copays.
