HICKORY, NC (February 7, 2022) – The Hickory Crawdads are excited to announce UNC Health as the official hospital of the team in a new multi-year partnership.
“We are thrilled about the opportunity to partner with UNC Health,” said Crawdads General Manager Douglas Locascio. “With two key UNC Health options right here in our surrounding community, we felt it was a perfect fit for all parties. They are as passionate about our health as we are about baseball and entertainment.”
“When we look for partnerships and sponsorships, we look at organizations that encourage and support healthy lifestyles and a healthy life balance,” said Kathy Bailey, President and Chief Executive Officer of UNC Health Blue Ridge. “We feel strongly that the Crawdads fit that bill. Yes, we take care of sick people, but we also promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing. This was a good partnership.”
UNC Health will provide first aid nurses for all Crawdad home games as part of the agreement.
“For UNC Health Blue Ridge, our unofficial motto is we’re friends and neighbors taking care of friends and neighbors,” said Bailey. “We’re excited that we’ll be partnering to provide the medical coverage for all 66 games. We’ll be here and we’ll be getting to know the fans, being present, and taking care of the first aid room.”
“I think the fans of the Crawdads know that UNC Health is one of the most trusted brands in the nation,” said Laura Easton, President and Chief Executive Officer of Caldwell UNC Healthcare. “They were ranked #2 in terms of trusted brands and it’s for a really good reason. Our organization has really served the communities here. I think the past two years and all that we have been through, the dependence we have had on our healthcare system, we’ve really demonstrated that to our communities.”
“I’m looking forward to being able to share with this whole region the power of UNC Health,” Easton continued. “Blue Ridge and Caldwell both serving under UNC Health in this region is a very powerful force for good in our communities and it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to show that.”
The Hickory Crawdads are the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The Crawdads will host their home opener on Tuesday, April 12th against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
UNC Health is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. Originally established in 1998, UNC Health currently comprises UNC Hospitals and its provider network, the clinical programs of the UNC School of Medicine, and fourteen hospitals and eighteen hospital campuses statewide.
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