Mid South Rehab Services, Inc. and North Mississippi Medical Center - West Point would like to congratulate Gabriela Ruffels of Australia as the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion as well as all of the talented participants of the competition.
Most days, Director of Rehabilitation for North Mississippi Medical Center - West Point, Jordan McComic sees patients just like any other PTA might. Her day is busy as she interacts with patients, coworkers from Mid South and NMMC. That’s how most days go. But, it’s not every day that the U.S. Women’s Amateur comes to town.
Just a few miles from NMMC - West Point, Old Waverly Golf Club is a gem of a golf course surrounded by a beautiful clubhouse and elegant landscaping. Every turn reveals another breathtaking view, and one cannot help but feel as if he has somehow teleported to Augusta when he visits the lovely property.
This year, Old Waverly Golf Club was chosen to host the 2019 Women’s Amateur, which is one of the USGA’s three championships. The event was held August 5 - 11 of this year.
Like any sporting event, the focus of the event is on the athletes - their performance, their focus, their stamina. A team of medical professionals must be on standby in the event that an accident or injury occurs. This year’s medical team was staffed by Mid South’s strategic partner, NMMC - West Point.
Mid South’s Regional Clinical Director, Hassan Farhat, as well as DOR, Jordan McComic, PTA, and Corey Watson, PT, attended the week-long event to aid the NMMC - West Point team.
"Good therapists. Good people all around. I just enjoy the opportunity to be part of it all." - Hassan Farhat, PT & RCD Tennessee Region.
Thankfully, the event ran smoothly, and very few serious injuries occurred. However, it took the entire team to ensure the best level of care could be administered to the medical tent’s frequent guests.
Although there were no traumatic incidents, the medical team was prepared to deal with whatever ailment affected patrons, volunteers, and staff of the event. With 156 competitors comes so much more than just athletic injuries. Think of all the caddies, carrying and rolling heavy equipment. Think of all the club staff, all hands on deck. Staff members were everywhere - manning the packed pro shop, zipping to and fro on golf carts as they drove patrons from the course back to the parking area. With all of the walking came blisters. With the heavy, unrelenting heat came exhaustion. The medical team worked to keep everyone from athletes to caddies and staff as safe, healthy, and comfortable as possible.
"It was fun and different to be out of the office and part of something that is happening right here in our community, representing Mid South and NMMC-West Point!" - Jordan McComic, PTA
The break from the everyday schedule also gave everyone in the medical tent a bit more time to get to know one another and visit.
“I’ve never done an event like this, but this is what real sports medicine is. It has been such a team effort because no person can do it all,” said Mimi Nguyen, Family Medicine resident.
The competition brought some excitement to West Point and the beautiful Old Waverly Golf Club, but it also benefitted all of the locals who had an opportunity to come and experience something new professionally, showing them a different side to the way they usually see medicine.