The Delaware Jockeys' Health and Welfare Fund held a Jockey Health Day on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, in the Delaware Park jockeys' quarters. Premier Physical Therapy and Sports Performance (Premier PT) hosted the event for the second year in a row.
A team of four doctors and three athletic trainers offered their services free of charge for this event; Dr. Kelly Ryan, Dr. Megan McQuarrie, Dr. Sean Sussman, Dr. Sarah Robinson, and Athletic Trainers Mandy Minutola, Kennedie Ebersole, and Paige Ezell. About 20 jockeys attended the event to undergo physical examinations, baseline concussion testing, and onboarding onto the HeadCheck health management system.
Delaware Park has had a licensed athletic trainer during live racing with a treatment room in the jockeys' quarters since 2018.
Premier PT, in partnership with Laurel Park track physician Dr. Kelly Ryan of Medstar, has utilized HeadCheck, a web-based end-to-end solution to execute concussion protocols, mitigate risk, and support recovery. HeadCheck gives participating racetracks the ability to instantly remove and return jockeys to riding by sharing possible injury alerts, performing baseline tests and physical examinations, completing injury reports and medical clearances, and collecting jockey emergency contact information and other pertinent information. HeadCheck uses strict HIPAA compliance with multi-level access where private health information is only provided to medical personnel. Tracks participating in the program include Delaware Park, Laurel, Timonium, Charles Town, Finger Lakes, Parx, and Penn National.
“Myself and our Maryland colony are very fortunate for the relationship we have with Delaware in an effort to improve safety for our local jockeys. Mandy Minutola and Premier PT are excellent examples of utilizing the sports medicine model at the racetrack. Delaware Park is one of the first to successfully have an athletic trainer at the track managing jockey health,” stated Dr. Kelly Ryan. “Other tracks should model their system to provide concussion and injury management. Their efforts have been invaluable in improving and customizing the HeadCheck system, and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
The 88-day Delaware Park meet opened on Wednesday, May 25, and concludes on Saturday, November 5. Live racing occurs on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Beginning in June, select Fridays will be added through November 4. The first race daily post time is set for 12:30 p.m. (ET) at Delaware Park.
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