LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville (UofL) announced a new and comprehensive medical partnership between Cardinal Athletics and UofL Health on Thursday, July 14. According to a news release, the partnership will fully integrate the sports programs with UofL Health and the University of Louisville School of Medicine. 

What You Need To Know

  • The agreement includes medical coverage for all sports teams

  • It extends for eight years and offers student-athletes access to all of UofL Health's network of doctors

  • Mental health is also a major emphasis of the agreement

  • The partnership includes state-of-the-art medical technology

“This is an exciting day for the University of Louisville,” Vice-President/Director of Athletics Josh Heird said. “Our number one priority will always be the well-being of our student-athletes and whenever we can create a partnership that provides our student-athletes with world-class services, we want to celebrate it. The commitment UofL Health is making to our student-athletes and our department will allow us to be a national leader in the medical and mental health care we provide our student-athletes.”

“We have been taking care of the Cardinal athletes since the 1980’s,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “There was a brief hiatus from the sidelines for some of our providers, but we never stopped providing care and this agreement formally puts us all back on one team for the benefit of the athletes, our university and our community.”

The new partnership is an agreement for eight years and provides medical coverage for all 23 UofL sports programs, as well as basic training coverage for the Cardinals’ cheer and dance teams. Cardinal student-athletes will have access to UofL Health’s network of sports health physicians, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists and primary care providers.

“Maintaining good health is essential for any athlete, especially student-athletes,” said Dr. Jennifer Daily, medical director of UofL Heath Sports Medicine. “We have the expertise, and we have technology, such as DARI, which provides movement data analytics to help athletes regain their game.”

Mental health services are another major emphasis of the agreement, with at least 10 dedicated mental health and metal performance professionals planned to student-athletes, in addition to other generally available mental health services. Additional services and equipment for injury rehabilitation, medical coverage for athletic events and supporting UofL’s new sports science department are also included as part of the agreement.

UofL Health is a fully integrated regional academic health system based in Louisville that operates six hospitals, four medical centers, the Brown Cancer Center and the Eye Institute. It also provides care to counties around Louisville, including southern Indiana and an extension program through Carroll County Memorial Hospital. 

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