UChicago Medicine to Serve as Team’s Official Medical Provider and Sponsor

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined the WNBA’s Chicago Sky to formally announce the team is moving to Wintrust Arena in Chicago’s South Loop for the 2018 season. In addition, the University of Chicago Medicine has been named the official medical provider and sponsor of the Chicago Sky through a multiyear partnership.

“On behalf of sports fans across the city, I want to welcome the Chicago Sky to their new home right here in the city of Chicago,” Mayor Emanuel said. “This move by the Chicago Sky will mean jobs and economic opportunities on Chicago’s South Side and in neighborhoods across the city, and the partnership between the Sky and UChicago Medicine will benefit the team and strengthen health initiatives in Chicago communities.”

Under the partnership, UChicago Medicine will provide preseason cardiac screenings as well as comprehensive player- and patient-centered services in orthopedics and sports medicine, women’s health and primary care.

In addition, the partnership will allow both organizations to work together to scale and track their impact across the city of Chicago, targeting key health issues such as childhood asthma, obesity and women’s health. UChicago Medicine has long made community impact.

part of its mission as an academic medical center based on the South Side, and the Chicago Sky and the Chicago Sky Foundation have pioneered several social impact programs and initiatives. Under the partnership, UChicago Medicine will utilize the Chicago Sky’s marketing platforms to provide public education about numerous community wellness topics, including nutrition and physical fitness.

UChicago Medicine will have an orthopedist on-site at every home game and on-call at away games. It also will have placement on Chicago Sky players’ home and away jerseys. In addition, UChicago Medicine will receive in-arena and court signage, as well as a presence on the team’s website, www.ChicagoSky.net.

“We are thrilled to now play in Chicago and work with a world-class facility like the University of Chicago Medicine,” said Adam Fox, CEO of the Chicago Sky. “This partnership guarantees that our athletes are provided with the finest resources, doctors and medical care. UChicago Medicine and the Chicago Sky hold the same values and an aligned vision. We are both deeply committed to women’s health, preventive care and serving the community, which makes this partnership a perfect fit. We look forward to a long and fulfilling relationship with UChicago Medicine.”

“This partnership is about two organizations that are deeply committed to connecting with the community they serve and choosing to work together to double their impact,” said Sharon O’Keefe, President of the University of Chicago Medical Center. “It further facilitates a community-wide dialogue and helps us to reach even more people with the message that committing to wellness is not just a critical part of living a healthy life; it can also be fun.”

This partnership is representative of UChicago Medicine’s history of social impact initiatives. For example:

• In 2005, it launched the South Side Healthcare Collaborative, a broad network of health providers across the South Side who are committed to helping area residents connect to quality health care and find a medical home.
• It also provides comprehensive medical care to South and West Side students through the Comer Children’s Hospital Pediatric Mobile Unit.
• A hospital-based violence intervention program called Healing Hurt People-Chicago involves special intensive case management and access to trauma-focused counseling for pediatric patients injured by violence.
• It partners with organizations and other health providers to address the health priority areas that were identified by the community: breast and colorectal cancer and diabetes for adults; obesity and asthma for children and adolescents; and violence prevention and sexually transmitted infections/HIV.

In what will be their banner event, UChicago Medicine and the Chicago Sky will join forces April 22 to host a health and wellness fair at Wintrust Arena, along with a basketball clinic that aims to break the world record for the largest basketball clinic ever held.

The Chicago Sky kicks off its season in May. During the 2018 season, the Chicago Sky will play all 17 home games at Wintrust Arena as well as promotional events. The move by the Sky adds to the growing portfolio of events at the new, 10,387-seat Wintrust Arena. Its anchor tenant is the DePaul University men’s and women’s basketball teams, which are expected to host more than 20 games at the new arena.

“This community partnership between two important corporate citizens of Chicago is exactly what we hoped for in building this new arena in the South Loop,” said Lori T. Healey, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. “Congratulations to UChicago Medicine and the Chicago Sky for working together as a catalyst to improve community health in our city.”

The more than 50 events at Wintrust Arena in its first year will support thousands of jobs in everything from food and beverage, to TV production, maintenance and custodial services.

About the University of Chicago Medicine

The University of Chicago Medicine, with a history dating back to 1927, is one of the nation’s leading academic medical institutions. UChicago Medicine unites the Medical Center, Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division. Its main Hyde Park campus is home to the Center for Care and Discovery, Bernard Mitchell Hospital, Comer Children’s Hospital and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine. Harvey-based Ingalls Health joined UChicago Medicine’s network in 2016. UChicago Medicine also has ambulatory facilities in Orland Park and the South Loop as well as affiliations and partnerships that create a regional network of care. UChicago Medicine offers a full range of specialty-care services for adults and children through more than 40 institutes and centers including an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. It has 811 licensed beds, nearly 850 attending physicians, about 2,500 nurses and over 1,100 residents and fellows.

About the Chicago Sky

The Chicago Sky, led by General Manager & Head Coach, Amber Stocks, is one of 12 teams in the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA). The Sky is one of six teams to compete in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference. Starting in 2018, the Sky will play its home games at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The regular WNBA season runs from May to September, with playoffs concluding by the end of September. Don’t miss a minute of the action in 2018. Purchase Sky 2018 Memberships today by calling 866.SKY.WNBA or visiting www.chicagosky.net.

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