Allegheny Health Network’s Pediatric Institute is set to provide summer sports physicals to student athletes in western Pennsylvania using its mobile health clinic. The clinic will be stationed at Northgate School District on July 2 and Baldwin High School on July 10. Families are encouraged to pre-register, though walk-ins are welcome. All children must be enrolled in the respective school district.
Sports physicals are mandated by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association for participation in scholastic sports, with a deadline of August 7 for the 2025-2026 school year. Joseph Aracri, DO, Chair of AHN Pediatric Institute, emphasized the importance of this initiative: “In our ongoing talks with local school systems, we learned that some turn away as many as 50 student athletes annually, simply because mandated sports physicals were not completed.”
AHN launched its mobile pediatric services in June 2024 and has since provided over 160 sports physicals across five districts. During these exams, pediatric care providers assess medical history and conduct various health evaluations.
Julianne Markovich, senior project manager at AHN and program lead of the mobile health unit, shared an example of their impact: “At one of the first summer clinics, we completed a sports physical in the morning and by that afternoon, the same student was fully dressed in his baseball uniform and finally got to come off the bench and hit the field with his team.”
The initiative also aims to address social barriers like transportation access and cost that affect adherence rates to sports physical requirements. Dr. Aracri noted these efforts help bring care closer to home.
Beyond pediatric care, AHN’s Primary Care Institute provides comprehensive screenings for adults in areas with limited healthcare access. The mobile van was donated by Brother’s Brother Foundation in April 2024.
For appointments at AHN pediatric outpatient offices or more information about services offered through their mobile clinic, families can contact them via email or phone.
