The Atlanta Hawks have recently announced a collaborative effort with Emory Healthcare and P3 sports analytics to build a new, first-of-its-kind facility which aims to combine the latest innovations in sports medicine, healthcare, training, and research.
Emory Healthcare is joining the Hawks as one of the two primary sponsors for the upcoming Brookhaven, Georgia project, as well as being made the official sports medicine provider for the team. The new building has yet to be named, although Emory has been given the rights to choose the moniker.
The partnership between Emory, the Hawks and P3, a top training and research service, gives the new building the possibility to deliver a unique integration between performance and rehabilitation that has yet to be accomplished in sports, according to one of HOK’s Sports + Recreation + Entertainment regional directors and senior leader on the project George Heinlein.
Since its announcement in early April, the project has added to a list of companies that will work together to make the center a reality. Architecture, engineering and planning firm, HOK, has been brought on for the state-of-the-art building, and is being tasked with making all the integral parts of the structure come together by leading the design for the facility.
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“By blending research, sports medicine, healthcare and training into one building, the Atlanta Hawks and Emory Healthcare will change the way the industry approaches athletic training and injury prevention,” Heinlein said in a press release.
Expected to break ground in the coming weeks, the new healthcare facility will play host to numerous roles including a practice facility for the Hawks organization and players, the new location for Emory’s Orthopedics and Spine Center and the east-coast location for P3, according to Heinlein.
These organizations are coming together with the purpose to help athletes retain their peak physical form in the midst of exhaustive training and season schedules.
“This strategic partnership will enable two outstanding organizations to create a new vision for sports medicine care and research for athletes at the highest levels of their game and translate this knowledge to our college, high school, and weekend athletes,” said Scott D. Boden, M.D., Director of the Emory Orthopedics and Spine and the Chief Medical Officer of the Emory University of Orthopedics and Spine Hospital, in a company statement.
The contributions from each company will open new venues for players to see how their bodies react to training and apply methods to improve physical output while staying healthy.
P3, based in Santa Barbara, will bring applied sports science techniques and regiments refined over 10 years under the same roof as Hawks players with the goal of improving players’ performances with “advanced biomechanical assessments, data analytics and intelligent, individualized program designs,” according to a Hawks press release.
Heinlein noted that the 90,000 square foot land will be used in a multitude of ways, but HOK’s main philosophy for the new building will focus on how to help players after the game is over, or how the player recovers. Players entering the new facility will be greeted by trainers and medical personnel rather than coaches.
“Our first priority is to check in with the players, we want to see how they are doing, how they are feeling, what treatments they need. We want the recovery team, and our trainers and treatment staff to be the first people that see (the players) when they come in the door,” Heinlein said.
And depending on the situation, the Hawk’s new facility will allow for on-site treatment of multiple ailments with the help of a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, force plates which can measure pressures on different joints, in-house blood and sweat testing to determine specific nutritional deficits to allow for personal dietary guidelines, and much more.
“When we became owners, one of our top priorities was to provide the resources necessary to build a world-class training facility—a key element of being a first-class franchise that consistently competes at the highest level. We are thrilled with the partnership that Steve and Bud have forged with Dr. Boden and the Emory team in developing a new facility that will be at the forefront of how professional teams approach integrating sports medical technology in their training centers,” said Tony Ressler Hawks Principal Owner in a press release. “It is a privilege to be partnering with a local institution that is a world leader in the medical field and that also shares our vision and passion for excellence. In addition, we are proud that this facility will go beyond benefitting just our players, but will also be a valuable sports medicine resource available to the entire community.”
Construction is planned to start in June, with the project set to open in the fall of 2017 to help improve Hawks players and the sports science industry at large.