Expect doctors and other medical staff from Vanderbilt University Medical Center along the boards at Nashville Predators hockey games, along with prominent advertising signage.
On Wednesday, the hospital announced that it had signed up as the official health-care provider for the hockey club. Vanderbilt replaces Saint Thomas Health Services, which ended its 10-year run in that role three months ago after talks about an extension failed to produce an agreement.
Vanderbilt's multiyear partnership marks its first foray as a major league sports sponsor.
Neither party would disclose financial terms.
"It seems like a naturally good marketing platform for us," said Joel Lee, associate vice chancellor of medical center communications. "The Predators' fans are generally young families — a good demographic for us to look at from a marketing standpoint."
Players, coaches and Predators' employees will get medical care, injury prevention, rehabilitation and other services from a team of Vanderbilt doctors, trainers, therapists and others. Vanderbilt also will have first-aid stations at Sommet Center hockey games and other events.
The deal builds on a relationship between the Predators and Vanderbilt that had included Vanderbilt buying tickets and sponsoring a suite during the hockey season, as well as Predators' players visiting patients at Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital will be a special focus of the charitable and player involvement aspects of the latest deal, Lee said.
"We hope for greater visibility for our children's hospital from a fundraising standpoint," he said. "In general, we would expect any kind of marketing we do to result in additional patient flow."
Other Vanderbilt sponsorship ties to sports have included the Nashville Sounds minor league baseball team, sports medicine and emergency services work with Belmont University and relationships with Vanderbilt University's football and basketball teams, Lee said.
Team physician namedDr. Jed Kuhn, a Vanderbilt orthopedic surgeon who has worked for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and the U.S. Olympic Committee, has been named head team physician for the Predators.
"He comes to us highly regarded … and we have the utmost confidence in him and his staff to give our players exceptional care this season and beyond," said David Poile, president of hockey operations for the Predators.
For its part, Saint Thomas Health Services remains the official health-care provider of the National Football League's Tennessee Titans.
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