SEMO extends groundbreaking sports medicine partnership with Mercy Southeast through 2029

Mercy Southeast and Southeast Missouri State University have announced the continuation of their partnership, extending orthopedic and sports medicine services for the university's student-athletes through 2029.

The partnership, which began in 2019, was a significant shift for the university as it marked the first time SEMO contracted with an outside group to provide comprehensive medical services for its athletes. Mercy Southeast has since become key in supporting SEMO's NCAA Division I athletics program, as well as intramural sports, club activities, and performing arts students.

Brady Barke, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at SEMO, highlighted the positive impact of the partnership over the past five years.

"We’ve been able to, through that partnership, have all of our athletic training services ultimately provided to us and have access to top-notch sports medicine providers, surgical access, imaging, all of those types of things," said Barke.

Barke continued to emphasize how the partnership has set SEMO apart from other collegiate sports programs. “In today’s world of college athletics, you have to have almost immediate access to those types of services, and so they’ve really done a great job delivering on that through the time that we’ve had the partnership.”

The extension through 2029 will allow Mercy Southeast to continue offering these essential services. Dr. Andrew Lawrence, a sports medicine physician at Mercy Southeast, explained the care provided to SEMO athletes. “For the last five years, we've been able to provide athletic trainers to help with practice and games and athlete care. We provide pre-participation physicals for them, including exams, EKGs, and further testing if needed. We're basically their team docs for all of the athletic department’s sports,” said Dr. Lawrence.

Mercy Southeast’s physicians, including Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Brian Sutterer, and Dr. Michelle Tedrowe, will continue to serve as the official team doctors for SEMO’s athletic programs, providing care for a wide range of sports. “We manage anything that goes on with the athlete from all aspects of their medical care,” Dr. Lawrence said. “Obviously, if they need some sort of outside specialist, we can get that involved. But both primary care and orthopedics are our focus.”

Dr. Andrew Lawrence, with Mercy Southeast, is one of the official team physicians of Southeast Missouri State University.Photo by Lyle Whitworth Photography

Mercy Southeast's commitment to SEMO student-athletes also includes game-day coverage for higher-risk sports such as men’s and women’s basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and gymnastics. “The physicians or providers cover all home games for the higher-risk athletic events,” Dr. Lawrence explained. “We travel to away games with football as well, just because of the nature of the injury risk associated with that sport.”

As mentioned, in addition to medical care for athletes, the partnership also extends to SEMO’s performing arts students. “We are one of the few schools in the country, especially in this conference, that provides this level of healthcare and athletic training care for the performing arts campus,” Dr. Lawrence noted. “We have an athletic trainer designated specifically for the performing arts campus, and we’re always happy to assist with any orthopedic or sports medicine needs they have.”

Barke emphasized how critical this comprehensive care is to SEMO’s mission. “It shows our commitment to their overall well-being. If you look at nutrition, you look at strength, and then you look at sports medicine, all of those things are ultimately going to dictate how successful a student-athlete can be," said Barke.

He added, “For us to kind of double down and invest in these areas through this partnership, I think shows our commitment to that, shows that they’ll have access to some of the best providers in the region in terms of access to care.”

Mercy Southeast’s collaboration with SEMO’s athletic trainers has further enhanced the quality of care. “The SEMO athletic trainers are employed by Mercy, and we have a great relationship with them," Dr. Lawrence said. "We’re in regular contact, and we also hold weekly training room clinics for athletes so they don’t have to travel to the office. It’s been a great benefit for us to get to know the athletes, get to know the coaches, and for the athletes to have more direct access to care.”

Additionally, Mercy Southeast’s on-campus clinic is available not just to athletes, but to all students. “We’ve got a campus clinic run by one of our nurse practitioners, Rachel Jenkins, that’s available to all the students, not just student-athletes,” Dr. Lawrence clarified. “And separately from that, we’ve got our sports medicine doctors here at Mercy Orthopedics and Sports Medicine that do the training room clinic for the SEMO athletes specifically.”

The partnership also extends to providing valuable services to the wider community. Dr. Lawrence emphasized, “We see athletes of all ages, not just those at SEMO, but we’re here for the community too. Our experience with Division I collegiate sports helps us treat high school, semi-pro, and non-collegiate athletes even better.”

As both parties look toward the future, Dr. Lawrence reflected on the success of the partnership. “We’ve done a great job of making sure that we balance getting the athletes back to sport quickly but safely. Our top priority is to get them healthy, and then get them back into their sport.” He added, “Hopefully, we can continue to get kids healthy, continue winning conference championships, and continue the mutual relationship that's been beneficial to both parties.”

The extension of the partnership through 2029 demonstrates Mercy Southeast's continued dedication to SEMO’s student-athletes, performing arts students, and the broader community. Barke concluded, “We’re excited to see it extended. It shows a commitment to their overall well-being”.