It’s difficult to be a star if you’re injured, so it’s no surprise the Dallas Cowboys have joined with Dallas’ Baylor Scott & White for a new sports therapy and research center at the team’s new corporate headquarters, The Star. The Cowboys and Baylor Scott & White broke ground on the new facility on June 15.
The 300,000 square-foot campus, to be named Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star, will focus on injury prevention, research and wellness for athletes of all levels. Expected to be complete in 2018, it will be a first-of-its kind collaboration between an NFL team, a health system and a school district — Frisco Independent School District.
“With a focus on preventing injuries and keeping people healthy, the goal of Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy & Research at The Star is to make North Texas the safest place in the country to play sports,” said Joel Allison, President and CEO, Baylor Scott & White Health. “This initiative is a perfect complement to Baylor Scott & White’s broader strategy of serving communities, with a focus on overall health and wellness.”
The campus at The Star in Frisco will include an ambulatory surgery center, diagnostic imaging, a sports performance program, an urgent care center, outpatient rehabilitation and a pharmacy.
“The Cowboys are honored to team up with Baylor Scott & White Health to bring together two marquee brands in sports and medicine,” said Jerry Jones Jr., chief sales and marketing officer and executive vice president, Dallas Cowboys. “With the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas, we are paving the way for a new age in health and safety for athletes. Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy and Research at The Star will become the standard-bearer for innovating and improving the future of sports on a global level. “
Perkins + Will is the architect for the project and the lead contractor is MEDCO Construction
A look at some of the services being offered:
• Imaging Center: The Imaging Center on The Star campus will serve all patients, including Dallas Cowboys football players, with an additional local outreach program planned for Frisco. Working in collaboration with General Electric (GE), it will feature some of the world’s most-advanced MRIs and become part of the GE-NFL Head Health Initiative. The MRI Suite will have a unique design using GE’s Caring Suite consultants that will include unique lighting, interior décor and music.
• Sports Performance Program: Through the sports performance program, athletes will be able to monitor, understand and improve overall performance. The program will reside on the first and second floors and feature an indoor/outdoor training field, basketball court, workout area and locker rooms. Among the technologies offered at the facility will be Fusionetics, an evidence-based platform to help optimize athletic performance, reduce injuries and speed recovery.
• Urgent Care Center: An urgent care center in the facility will provide access to care for non-emergent injuries and illnesses. It will serve as a first line of triage for sports-related injuries.
• Outpatient Rehabilitation: The facility will offer a wide variety of outpatient rehabilitation therapy services for injured athletes including: physical therapy, occupational therapy and neuropsychology services. Services will be provided by licensed therapists and tailored for orthopedic post-operative cases, musculoskeletal injuries and other sports medicine/rehabilitation for injured athletes. In addition, licensed athletic trainers will provide event and game coverage, sports medicine/injury clinics, youth physicals, prevention programs and community education programs.
• Brain Injury Program: As part of the outpatient rehabilitation provided at the facility, a concussion assessment and management program will be available. A concussion specialist will also be on the sidelines of every Frisco ISD football game played at The Star.
• Research: The facility will also incorporate research into its offerings, which include: concussion prevention and clinical management; injury prevention and corrective care; as well as athlete recovery science, hydration, sleep, nutrition, regeneration/readiness to train; and sports performance science.