News

St. Luke’s University Health Network and the Easton Area School District are pleased to announce a 10-year partnership that will provide the district with substantial in-kind services and donations, and comprehensive health care services for Easton’s students and employees. The contract includes integrated health care components beyond the traditional sports medicine field:

• In addition to a team physician, and two sports medicine/athletic trainers over the next 10 years, benefits to the district include sponsorship support to help defray the construction cost of Cottingham Stadium, as well as sports medicine supplies, an annual donation to the EASD Education Foundation Partnership and a yearly contribution to the district’s scholarship program.
• St. Luke’s will work collaboratively with the District to establish a Lifestyle Medicine and Sports Performance Training Center at a site within the District, providing student athletes the highest quality training with sports performance experts from St. Luke’s University Health Network. St. Luke’s will design a program and facility that addresses the whole person and will be available to staff and families of the Easton Area School District.
• St. Luke’s will work collaboratively with the District to establish a variety of programs for the underserved; develop Lifestyle Medicine programming to address needs within the community and drive the shared vision for a “Healthy Lifestyle” partnership; and develop a new partnership with a leading mentorship and academic/athletic support organization to be used by the District for students and athletes.

“For several years, the Easton Area School District and St. Luke’s University Health Network have been engaged in a partnership that has provided programs and services to our students and staff,” explains George Chando, president, Easton Board of Education. “The new agreement approved by the Board of Education greatly expands that partnership and the increased number of programs and services will provide tremendous benefits to our students, staff and the community.”

“We would like to thank Superintendent David Piperato, School Board President George Chando, Mike Simonetta, Chief Financial Officer and members of the Board and staff for their vision and commitment to the students, student-athletes, staff and community for allowing us to continue to be their community health care provider,” said Greg Leh, Senior Director, Business Development for Sports Medicine Relationships at St. Luke’s.

“We are doing everything we can to prevent illness and injuries in this school community,” adds John Hauth, Senior Network Administrator, Sports Medicine Relations for St. Luke’s University Health Network. “For nearly a decade, St. Luke’s has provided Easton Area School District student-athletes with streamlined access to our team of fellowship-trained physicians, licensed Athletic Trainers, sports performance coaches and physical therapists.

“The district has been very pleased with our relationship with St. Luke’s and views this contract as an amazing opportunity to extend our work together,” says Easton Area School District Superintendent, David Piperato. “In addition to the sports medicine agreement, the in-kind donations and financial sponsorships will greatly benefit all members of the community. We look forward to working collaboratively to establish a Lifestyle Medicine and Sports Performance Training Center that will be made available to athletes, staff and families. St. Luke's has also committed to help the district establish a variety of programs for our underserved communities to encourage and enhance healthy lifestyles.”

“Easton Area School District has had a great relationship with St. Luke’s for well over seven years. Our athletic teams from grades 7-12 have benefited from the many programs and opportunities SLUHN has to offer student-athletes,” says James L. Pokrivsak Jr., director of athletics, Easton Area School District. “EASD has worked closely with SLUHN on sports nutrition, cardiac arrest and concussion awareness, pre-participation physical exams, sport performance and most recently, Covid-19 protocols. We are excited that our current and future student-athletes will benefit from the next level of this relationship.”

The contract expands the traditional sports-related components as St. Luke’s has worked collaboratively across the health disciplines, doing an assessment of the school district to identify needs. St. Luke’s has integrated community health, preventive medicine and behavioral health resources into program. “Together, we are uniquely positioned to address the disparities that exist in the Easton Area school community,” says Hauth. “We examine every aspect from PSSA scores through free and reduced-price lunches students, to the demographics of the district so that we can work in partnership on initiatives to address the school district’s needs.”

“Our partnership with St. Luke's has changed the way our students in the Easton Area School District have been able to access services that are critical to their success,” says Dr. Karen Trinkle, director of student and community services, Easton Area School District. “Through experience, connection and support, St. Luke's has offered a comprehensive approach to both social emotional health and physical health to our students. The Easton Area School District looks forward to building upon the existing relationship with St. Luke's and increasing access to support for our school community.”

Highlights of the contract include:

• Three on-site Licensed Athletic Trainers
• Athletic Training Supplies
• Sports Performance Coaching
• Access to Fellowship-Trained Physicians
• Access to Physical Therapy
• Nutrition services
• Educational Programming Support for Students, Parents and Coaches
• Community Sponsorship for the School
• COVID-19 Action Plans
• Behavioral Health Consultation & Support
• Cottingham Stadium – Healthy Lifestyle Venue Support

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Media Contact:

Sam Kennedy, Corporate Communications Director, 484-526-4134, samuel.kennedy@sluhn.org

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of 14,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and over 300 outpatient sites. With annual net revenue of $1.9 billion, the Network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the region’s first and only regional medical school campus. It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 28 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 226 residents and fellows. St. Luke’s is the only health care system in central-eastern Pennsylvania to earn Medicare’s five-star rating (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. St. Luke’s has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health (formerly Truven Health Analytics) repeatedly – six times total and four years in a row including 2018. It has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program. Utilizing the EPIC electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.