For Immediate Release

Contact:

Bobby Maldonado

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

248-858-6662

Bobby.Maldonado@stjoeshealth.org

Jake Marmul

Detroit Catholic Central High School

248-536-3874 jmarmul@catholiccentral.net

July 23, 2018

LIVONIA, Mich. (July 23, 2018) – MercyElite Sports Performance, a member of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, has signed an agreement to be the exclusive provider of athletic training services for Detroit Catholic Central Athletics. According to terms of the agreement, beginning in July 2018, MercyElite will support the strength and conditioning program of the Novi-based school and provide athletic trainers for athletes, including on-site event coverage for all fourteen interscholastic sports.

The new agreement includes ancillary health services for students, such as pre-participation physicals and heart screenings.

"We are excited to partner with a school whose reputation for high performance on the field and inside the classroom is well known throughout the community," said Christopher Bohm, a Catholic Central alum and the service line administrator for Sports Medicine at MercyElite. "In addition to sharing Catholic values, our two organizations share common goals, which are to prevent injury and illness amongst student-athletes, and to help guide these young men towards a lifetime of health and wellness."

MercyElite is the sports medicine provider of choice for many schools and teams in the community. This includes Livonia Public Schools, Schoolcraft College, and the Michigan Wolves and Hawks soccer club.

“Partnering with a faith-based organization like MercyElite will further enhance the experience of our student-athletes," said Athletic Director Aaron Babicz, a Catholic Central alum. “We already have a strong focus on the wellness of our young men, and adding a support staff knowledgeable in the treatment and prevention of injuries will allow them to continue to compete at the highest possible level of Michigan High School Athletics.”

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About Catholic Central

Detroit Catholic Central High School is the largest Catholic high school in the state of Michigan, with an enrollment of more than 1,000 students. An all-boys college preparatory school founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1928, Detroit Catholic Central is rooted in the motto “Teach me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge” and sends an average of 99% of its graduates to college. Detroit Catholic Central is located in Novi, MI, and draws students from the entire Metro Detroit region. Detroit Catholic Central prides itself on its spiritual environment, its excellent academics, and its students’ passion for extracurricular activities. The symbol of Detroit Catholic Central is the Shamrock, which honors the founding Fathers’ Irish heritage, and its colors are Royal Blue and White in honor of Mary, Alma Mater.

For more information on Detroit Catholic Central, please visit www.catholiccentral.net.

About MercyElite Sports Performance

MercyElite Sports Performance is a comprehensive sports medicine program based in Livonia, Michigan. Its wide-ranging list of services includes surgery, rehabilitation and athletic event coverage, as well as injury prevention education, direct injury care, nutritional support, mental/emotional support and sports performance training. Its team is diverse and includes certified strength and conditioning specialists, performance enhancement specialists, orthopedic certified specialists, non-operative fellowship-trained osteopathic physicians, orthopedic surgeons, sports-specialized licensed physical therapists and licensed athletic trainers. For more information on health services offered through MercyElite, please visit www.mercyelite.org.

About Saint Joseph Mercy Health System

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is a health care organization serving seven counties in southeast Michigan including Livingston, Washtenaw, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Jackson, and Lenawee. It includes 537-bed St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, 443-bed St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, 304-bed St. Mary Mercy Livonia, 136-bed St. Joseph Mercy Livingston in Howell, and 133-bed St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea. Combined, the five hospitals are licensed for 1,553 beds, have five outpatient health centers, six urgent care facilities, more than 25 specialty centers; employ more than 15,300 individuals and have a medical staff of nearly 2,700 physicians. SJMHS has annual operating revenues of about $2 billion and returns about $120 million to its communities annually through charity care and community benefit programs.

SJMHS is a member of Trinity Health, a leading Catholic health care system based in Livonia, Mich. Trinity Health operates in 22 states, employs about 131,000 colleagues, has annual operating revenues of $17.6 billion and assets of about $24.6 billion. Additionally, the organization returns almost $1 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.

For more information on health services offered at Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, please visit www.stjoeshealth.org.