Feb. 20, 2019

Sanford Health has partnered with the Orthopaedic & Fracture Clinic in Mankato, Minn., to cover the orthopedic and sports medicine needs of Minnesota State University athletics.

The Mavericks recently announced the five-year partnership.

With the addition of MNSU, Sanford now handles the orthopedic and sports medicine care for 14 four-year colleges and universities. That includes five in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and five that field NCAA Division I teams.

The Mavericks fit into both of those categories.

“At Sanford Health, we pride ourselves in providing the most advanced sports medicine services available in the industry,” said Paul Hanson, president of Sanford Health in the Sioux Falls market. “Our ability and the willingness of Maverick Athletics and the Mankato community to align with us on this venture is very exciting.”

The agreement will provide support in transitioning the current athletic training staffing model from graduate assistants to part-time university employees.

“The opportunity to build upon the longstanding relationship we have had with OFC spanning more than four decades while adding Sanford Health as part of the combination is certainly an exciting one for Maverick athletics,” said Kevin Buisman, director of Minnesota State athletics. “This is a huge win for our programs at many different levels, and we look forward to working together in the years ahead.”