River Parishes Hospital provided approximately 150 physicals to high school athletes in the river parishes’ area on Saturday, June 25 as part of the hospital’s Sports Medicine Program. Physicals were provided at a cost of $5.00 each, which was in turn donated back to the schools’ athletic departments.

Four area high schools participated in the physical clinic, including St. James High School, East St. John High School, Reserve Christian School and West St. John High School. Several hospital physicians were on-hand, including Wendi DeFrank, MD, William Johnson, MD, Christy Montegut, MD, Brad Thompson, MD, and Linda Thompson, MD, as well as a number of hospital employees and LPN students from the Louisiana Technical College.

Now the hospital is getting ready for its annual Saturday morning clinics. The clinics will be open every Saturday during the 10-week football season to treat and counsel injured athletes.

“This is the fifth year we have provided this service to the area high schools,” said Carrie Fisk, Director of Marketing. “We are glad to provide physical assessments for area students for the upcoming athletic season. If the need arises, we will be available on Saturday mornings during the football season through our Sports Injury Clinic at RPH to assess injuries and ensure a safe and quick return to the playing field. RPH is a community-focused hospital, and we want to provide quality services for our residents in and throughout the river parishes.”