Parrish Healthcare Proud to Partner With Who We Play For

Parrish Healthcare is proud to partner with Who We Play For, a nonprofit organization that exists to eliminate preventable sudden cardiac death in young athletes, for a sixth consecutive year.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a life-threatening condition that causes a person’s heartbeat to stop abruptly and unexpectantly. SCA is usually caused by an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system. When this happens, blood flow to the brain, heart and the rest of the body stops. If standing, a person experiencing SCA usually collapses. SCA can occur in people of all ages, including children and teenagers who are otherwise very healthy.

In partnership with Who We Play For, the Parrish Medical Group Athletic Training Program within the Parrish Healthcare Network, provides student athletes with access to affordable athletic physicals, heart screenings and electrocardiogram testing in the North Brevard community.

The nonprofit Who We Play Forwas created in memory of high school soccer athlete Rafe Maccarone, who suffered from SCA during soccer practice. It was later discovered that Rafe had Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a condition that could have been both discovered and diagnosed had he completed electrocardiogram testing prior to beginning the soccer season.

Parrish Medical Group physician, Anthony Allotta, DO, speaks on the importance of pre-participation sports physicals, “This is an opportunity to ensure student athletes are physically able to participate in sports for the upcoming school year. If an individual has a physical condition that would prevent or prohibit his or her participation in sports and other activities, we can identify that early on and address accordingly.”

Evan Ernst, Executive Director of Who We Play For, thanks Parrish Healthcare for their ongoing support. “We are incredibly grateful for the wonderful partnership of Parrish Healthcare. Between 2023-2024, 621 students and student athletes were screened at schools in Parrish’s service areas. Of these students, 6 were flagged as needing follow up care to identify the cause of heart abnormalities, two of which were flagged with a potentially life-threatening heart condition. The impact our continued partnership has on the Brevard community allows us to create safer schools and communities.”

Parrish Medical Group is offering two pre-participation sports physical events for the upcoming school year. The first will be held Saturday, July 20 from 8am-noon at Parrish Healthcare Center at Titus Landing, 250 Harrison Street, Floor 1, Titusville. A second event will be held Saturday, August 10 from 8am-noon at Parrish Healthcare Center in Port St. John, 5005 Port St. John Parkway, Suite 2100, Port St. John. The cost will be $10 per student, no appointment is necessary. A parent and/or guardian must accompany athletes to their physical.

For more information about Who We Play For, Parrish Healthcare or the upcoming pre-participation sports physicals, please visit parrishhealthcare.com or contact Kellie Way, Athletic Training Director, at 321-433-2247 ext. 8225.