Local college athletes received a boost in their health care coverage Tuesday, and it was all due to a partnership between CSUB and Dignity Health.
The Now Bakersfield had a chance to speak with the University's Athletic Director and Dignity Health personnel who said the plan will support students well beyond their college days.
"Today we announce that Dignity Health has increased its commitment to become the exclusive health care partner of the road runners," General Manager CSUB Multi Media Will Carter said.
CSUB athletics and Dignity Health will now be working as one team to ensure all athletes at CSUB have the best health care during their collegiate careers, "We have physicians to support the athletic teams at the university, we have physicians and persons at the major games particularly all of the basketball games, we have doctors on call to cover CSUB 24/7 365," Dignity Health Senior Vice President of Operations Jon Van Boening said. In addition to the exclusive access Dignity Health will make sure CSUB athletes will have support from all three emergency Dignity Health branches in Bakersfield.
In return Dignity Health will also be receiving additional sponsorship elements from CSUB, "Dignity Health logo is now on the famous blue court which you will get to see and also as we do post game interviews and post game press conferences your going to see Dignity Health," Director of CSUB Athletics Kenneth Ziggy Siegfried said.
The partnership will also ensure that student athletes are covered financially in terms of health care for the extent of their collegiate career and beyond regardless of the type of athletically related injury they may sustain, "Our goal is to continue to make sure that we get them to a healthy state that we take care of them because we don't just care about our student athletes while they're here, we care about them afterwards," Siegfried said.
The partnership is aiming to help make sure every team member is stronger after their athletic career than before by equipping them with health care coverage they can rely on and members who care about their well being on and off the court, "But it's not just the financial commitment it's the fact they are going to continue to provide quality care for our student athletes and that is the of upmost importance to us," Siegfried said.
CSUB and Dignity Health will also be hosting a march for human kindness on October 18, as part of their official kick off. They said it is part of their joint effort to create one team in the community. If you would like to walk in the march for human kindness meet outside of the CSUB Icardo Center at 5 p.m.
