Cal Ripken Jr. Teams Up with LifeBridge Health Sports Medicine Institute

Baltimore, MD - Baseball's Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr., has joined the all-star team at the new LifeBridge Health Sports Medicine Institute, a program combining experts in orthopedics, neurology (including comprehensive concussion care), therapy, rehabilitation and athletic training to provide integrated care to athletes at all levels.

"Outstanding medical care was always important to me, from my playing days to today, and the team at LifeBridge Health is the best in the business. They have tremendous experience and the finest reputation.  With more than 1,700 doctors in their network, it is easy to find a physician I am comfortable with and, as I age, that is more important than ever," says Ripken.

"Cal Ripken is a Baltimore icon and sports legend whose extraordinary record of continuous play shows the importance of good training and good medical care. We are thrilled to have Cal on our LifeBridge Health team," says Brian M. White, executive vice president of LifeBridge Health.

The LifeBridge Health Sports Medicine Institute aims to change the game for pro and amateur athletes by bringing together the expertise of two nationally known sports medicine experts: neurologist Kevin Crutchfield, M.D., and orthopedic surgeon Craig Bennett, M.D. Drs. Crutchfield and Bennett care for many high-profile pro and college players from wide variety of sports.

Dr. Crutchfield is a nationally known expert on concussions and traumatic brain injury, having served as an independent neurologist for many professional sports leagues; Dr. Bennett has provided orthopedic care to athletes at every level, including NFL and Division 1 college athletes, most recently serving as team orthopedic surgeon for University of Maryland athletics.

"Sports medicine seems to advance every day, and it is more vital to an athlete's success than just about anything outside of their ability.  Athletes at every level are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before, and while that provides for amazing feats on the field, it also makes them more susceptible to injury.  Because of that, the physicians at LifeBridge Health stay on top of the latest advances and maintain an entire team solely focused on the growing world of sports medicine," adds Ripken.

LifeBridge Health sports medicine specialists work with coaches and team trainers to provide a personalized plan of care for each athlete. Along physicians, the team includes athletic trainers, physical therapists and other allied health providers who can work with clients on injury prevention, offering services such as sports-specific strength and technique analysis, and strength and speed conditioning.

Through his partnership with LifeBridge Health, Ripken will promote the Sports Medicine Institute on billboards, radio, television and print advertisements, including Baltimore Orioles games, and he will appear at several LifeBridge Health events throughout the upcoming year. 

For more information about the LifeBridge Health Sports Medicine Institute, click here.

About LifeBridge Health 
LifeBridge Health consists of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, and subsidiaries and affiliates, including LifeBridge Health & Fitness. Sinai, Northwest and Carroll hospitals are acute-care general hospitals with complementary clinical centers of excellence.  For more information, visit lifebridgehealth.org.

Cal Ripken Contacts 
Public Relations - John Maroon, Maroon PR, john@maroonpr.com 
Marketing inquiries - Jonathan Salant, Rubicon Talent, jsalant@rubicontalent.com 
Peter Raskin, Rubicon Talent, PRaskin@rubicontalent.com 
Business inquiries - Glen Valis, Cal Ripken, Jr., Inc., G.Valis@ripkenbaseball.com