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    Health & Wellness

    Mayo Clinic, Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx Announce Collaboration

Mayo Clinic Square - Minneapolis Sports Center

Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center to open sports medicine facility in downtown Minneapolis

ROCHESTER, Minn. ― Feb. 4, 2014 ― Mayo Clinic and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx today announced a partnership which extends the Mayo Model of Care for patients in sports medicine to the Twin Cities. The collaboration includes: 1) the opening of a Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center at 600 Hennepin, 2) designating Mayo as the preferred medical provider for the teams, and 3) utilizing the teams’ international reach to educate the public about numerous health and wellness topics.

Mayo Clinic Shield with Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Logos

Mayo Clinic will be a part of the redevelopment of 600 Hennepin, formerly known as “Block E,” in downtown Minneapolis, where Mayo will open a Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center facility and the Timberwolves and Lynx will open a new practice facility. Mayo and the teams will occupy the third level. 600 Hennepin will be renamed “Mayo Clinic Square.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, and meet the wellness, performance and rehabilitation needs of Twin Cities residents,” says Michael Stuart, M.D., co-director, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center, and team physician for USA Hockey.

Journalists: Sound bites with Mr. Flip Saunders, President of Basketball Operations, and Drs. Stuart, Laskowski and Wald are available in the downloads. B-roll of Tuesday's news conference is also available.

“We are extremely excited by this strategic partnership with the Mayo Clinic. They are one of our state’s greatest assets and are known around the world to represent excellence in health care," says Rob Moor, CEO, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. "We believe working with them will bring those qualities to our players with a world class experience that is unparalleled in professional sports.”

Since 1990, professional and international sports teams, premier athletes and weekend warriors from virtually every sport across the globe have turned to the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center for integrated, multidisciplinary care to optimize performance, minimize risk, and treat injury.

Services in the new, 20,000 square foot sports medicine facility will include health and well-being programs, injury prevention, performance solutions, physical rehabilitation, and sport-specific skills programs for elite and amateur athletes and active adults. The facility is expected to be staffed by orthopedic and physical medicine & rehabilitation physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and strength and conditioning specialists. In addition, a Mayo Clinic navigator will be available to help ease the process for patients desiring integrated care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

This facility will be similar to the new 25,000 square foot Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center expansion at Mayo’s Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center in Rochester, Minn.

“We are proud to provide a team of renowned clinical experts, including orthopedic and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, who care for elite level professional and Olympic athletes.  We want to have this same level of care available to meet the  fitness and performance needs of all ages and types of athletes,” says Edward Laskowski, M.D., co-director, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center.

As the designated medical provider for the Timberwolves and Lynx, Mayo Clinic specialists will diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate musculoskeletal injuries, as well as implement programs for optimal performance and injury prevention. In addition, Mayo will utilize the teams’ marketing platforms to provide public education about numerous wellness topics, including nutrition and physical fitness.

“We’re excited to partner with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx,” says John T. Wald, M.D., Mayo Clinic radiologist and medical director for marketing and public affairs. “The partnership reflects Mayo’s strong commitment to serving the needs of patients in the Twin Cities and our core value of sharing knowledge to improve people’s health and wellness around the nation and world.”

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About Mayo Clinic
Recognizing 150 years of serving humanity in 2014, Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit 150years.mayoclinic.org, www.mayoclinic.org and newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org.


MEDIA CONTACT:
Bryan Anderson, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005,
newsbureau@mayo.edu

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