CARLOS MONTANEZ
New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ) teamed up with the New York Cosmos to educate players, coaches and parents about sports injuries to ensure young players are safe on the field.
Players and coaches were on hand for a press conference held at NYHQ on August 19 to officially announce this, and that NYHQ will be the official hospital of the rebooted Cosmos franchise.
“[The goal is to] play for a long time, play safe and enjoy sports,” said Dr. Alexander Golant, who specializes in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine for NYHQ.
The Cosmos, which played their first professional game since 1985 on August 3, and NYHQ are planning to spread awareness about sports injuries to athletes around the borough with wellness clinics in the fall.
At the clinics athletes, parents, coaches and trainers will learn about certain injuries and how to prevent them. Dates and times for the clinics have yet to be announced.
As a part of being the official hospital of the Cosmos, NYHQ will have direct involvement with the team as well. The hospital will provide game day physician coverage for home and away games and have detailed plans to take care of any type of medical issue that may come about during a game.
“The doctors have been great,” said Carlos Mendes, Cosmos defender and native New Yorker. “They have been [checking in] with us on a weekly and early basis.”
The medical attention isn’t just special to the soccer club. The hospital believes it gives its patients the same amount of care as it does for the Cosmos, according to Dr. Justin Classie, director of sports medicine for NYHQ.
“We treat everyone as a professional athlete,” Classie said. “Our goal is keeping everyone active, regardless of their level of competition.”
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