New Sports Medicine Center Is a Destination Site for Athletes

DETROIT – Henry Ford Health System’s new modern sports medicine center brings together under one roof a comprehensive lineup of services unique to a health system in Michigan.

Part of the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center in Detroit, the three-story facility is named the William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine, in honor of the late owner of the Detroit Lions and grandson of auto pioneer Henry Ford. A plaque honoring Mr. Ford is displayed in the facility’s lobby.

“The William Clay Ford Center for Athletic Medicine combines Henry Ford’s medical excellence with the latest performance training technology, innovation and rehabilitation to make it a destination site for athletes and patients alike,” Wright Lassiter III, Henry Ford’s president and CEO announced at a dedication event in September. “This will be a premier facility for sports medicine in the region and in Michigan.”

Henry Ford is the official health care provider for the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Lions and serves as team doctors for more than 20 Michigan colleges, universities and high schools.

The center is connected by a 125-foot walkway enclosed in glass to the Pistons' new practice facility and corporate headquarters. A 370-space parking structure provides parking for Henry Ford patients, the Pistons organization and retail use.

The dedication event occurred more than 30 months after Henry Ford and the Pistons announced plans to build the multi-discipline Henry Ford Detroit Performance Center. It was built on a parcel of property owned by Henry Ford and previously used as an employee parking lot.

The Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center is a trendsetter in Michigan – the latest in a string of collaborations between a U.S. health system and a professional sports team to build a sports medicine center connected to a multi-faceted training facility. Others are the University Pittsburgh Medical Center and Pittsburgh Penguins, Emory Healthcare and Atlanta Hawks and St. Vincent Center and Indiana Pacers.

The 54,000-square-foot sports medicine facility anchors the west end of the performance center, one block north of Henry Ford’s corporate offices. It is staffed by about 50 team members consisting of doctors, nurses, athletic trainers, physical and occupational rehab specialists, integrative medicine specialists and other health care professionals.

The facility offers 33 patient exam rooms, two procedure rooms, one MRI suite, two digital X-ray suites and one ultrasound suite. Key services include:

• Sports medicine and orthopedics.

• Physical and occupational therapy.

• Specialty services such as acupuncture, brain health, cardiac testing, chiropractor care, ear, nose and throat care, eye care, massage, nutrition assessment and testing and sleep medicine.

• Advanced motion analysis and sports biomechanics with comprehensive performance training.

• State-of-the-art rehab space focuses on advanced techniques that are designed to return them to sport and full activity. A sports pelvic floor therapy program helps women regain function and return to their active lifestyle after pregnancy or living with pelvic floor disorders like pelvic pain, incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

Ted Parsons, M.D., chair of Henry Ford's Department of Orthopedic Surgery, says the expansive level of services and medical expertise under one roof is unmatched in Michigan.

“This is a first-class sports medicine facility and our team is excited about bringing the kind of exceptional care experience our athletes and patients have come to expect from us,” Dr. Parsons says. “We take pride in our team approach to caring for the ‘whole athlete’ whether you’re an elite athlete, college or high school athlete, weekend warrior or someone who is simply trying to maintain an active lifestyle.”

This is Henry Ford’s second sports medicine center named in honor of William Clay Ford. The first opened two blocks away at the corner of Second and Milwaukee in 1996. That facility was recently renamed and continues to serve patients for select services. All sports medicine related services were relocated to the new facility.

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MEDIA CONTACT: David Olejarz / David.Olejarz@hfhs.org / 313.874.4094