CHRISTUS Health to offer free athletic physicals for Tyler, Longview, surrounding schools

CHRISTUS Health will offer free sports physicals for all middle school and high school students from Tyler, Longview and surrounding schools during multiple events in May.

The first event will be on Wednesday, May 1, at the W.T. Brookshire Convention Center in Tyler for students in the Tyler ISD and surrounding districts of All Saints, Arp, Big Sandy, Chapel Hill, Cumberland, Bishop T.K. Gorman, Grace Community, Harmony, Hawkins, Lindale, Mineola, West Rusk, Whitehouse and Winona.

A second event is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8 at Spring Hill School in Longview for athletes from Hallsville, Hughes Springs, Jefferson, Leverett’s Chapel, Longview Christian, Ore City, Pine Tree Spring Hill, St. Mary’s School, Tatum and Union Grove.

“These pre-participation physicals are designed to maintain the health and safety of athletes,” said Carson Powell, sports medicine coordinator, CHRISTUS Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, Tyler. “Our goal is to make sure these student-athletes are healthy and that we detect any conditions that may predispose them to injury or identify those at risk for life-threatening conditions.”

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) and Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) requires all student-athletes to have a medical history form signed before athletic participation. A medical history form accompanies each physical examination. Schools have been provided the paperwork from UIL and TAPPS and have sent information home with students to be filled out prior to the events.

Each athlete will undergo an evaluation by a certified health care professional which includes a detailed medical history, orthopedic screening, blood pressure and heart rate screening, and medical physical, Casey Reed, sports medicine coordinator for CHRISTUS Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute in Longview estimates more than 10,000 athletes will receive a free physical during multiple events in the spring.

“We understand it may be difficult for families to take off work and pay for physicals,” Reed said. “Our goal with these events is to remove barriers to healthcare to ensure athletes can participate in the activities they love.”

If a player from a participating school misses their date, they can find a provider near them at www.christushealth.org, or by calling (903) 315-3000 in Longview or (903) 593-8441 in Tyler to schedule an appointment. Those in-office physicals will be charged as an office visit and will not be free.