Amber Thomas Named First Female Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year, Awarded $10,000 College Scholarship

BETHLEHEM, Pa., June 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Acute care hospital network and sports medicine leader Coordinated Health, in partnership with The Morning Call and WFMZ The Big Ticket, this evening named Northern Lehigh High School two-sport standout Amber Thomas the 2014-2015 Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year. Thomas' award and its accompanying $10,000 college scholarship was the highlight of the second annual Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year gala, held this evening at Musikfest Cafe at ArtsQuest.

The event was the culmination of the Coordinated Health Athlete of the Week in which 36 student-athletes were selected as Coordinated Health Athlete of the Week throughout the past school year, representing 13 sports and 17 high schools in The Morning Call coverage area. Each student received a $1,000 scholarship and was honored at the Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year gala.

Thomas, a standout softball pitcher for Northern Lehigh, graduated this month and is headed to Drexel University, where she plans to study biomedical engineering. She earned the top award based on athletic, leadership, and community criteria, plus online voting. She ranked fifth in her class academically and was a member of the school's student council.

Thomas, an accomplished pitcher who helped lead Northern Lehigh to ten wins this past softball season, has met multiple medical setbacks with an impressive tenacity and perseverance.

"Like many athletes, I've experienced a lot of ups and downs, but I am just thrilled to accept this scholarship as a testament to the hard work and dedication I put in to my athletics, academics, and my leadership roles in the community; and also my family, coaches, and teammates who supported me," Thomas said. "I'm excited for my next chapter, college." 

"Amber is a tremendous student-athlete who serves as a role model on and off the field," said Dr. Emil DiIorio, CEO of Coordinated Health. "She reflects the Coordinated Health values of leadership, excellence, and community participation. We are proud to be associated with Amber and this evening's other honorees. Coordinated Health has served athletes of all skill levels for more than 27 years and is committed to continuing our tradition of helping all athletes shine."

Continuing the tradition of excellence, Franklin & Marshall quarterback Zack Bradley, the 2013-2014 Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year selected for his achievements as a Catasauqua High School student-athlete, returned to unveil Thompson as the winner of the second annual award.

The gala, moderated by award-winning WFMZ sports director Troy Hein, also featured New York Giants fullback, Super Bowl XLVI champion and eastern Pennsylvania native Henry Hynoski, Jr. He spoke with the Coordinated Health Athlete of the Week and Year winners about the concept of Greater Than One, which mirrors the theme of Coordinated Health's sports medicine spring campaign. 

Coordinated Health, a 17-location hospital network, is the sports medicine leader in its eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey coverage area. Home to the most fellowship-trained sports medicine physicians in the Greater Lehigh Valley, Coordinated Health provides the team physician plus athletic trainers for more than 30 of the region's colleges and high schools, more schools than any other healthcare provider.

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About Coordinated Health

Coordinated Health (CH) is a privately held, physician-owned acute care hospital network in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. CH's focused regional network has 1200 employees at 17 sites with an ambulatory-based continuum of care. Access is provided by specialty hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, transitional care units, multi-specialty clinics, and walk-in care centers. Service lines have been deliberately limited to musculoskeletal care, cardiology, women's health and immediate and primary care. CH has exclusively earned the U.S. government's new 5-star quality rating by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for quality care and service, has received the Top Performer rating from The Joint Commission three years in a row, and has repeatedly been awarded top safety and patient satisfaction scores from Healthgrades and other nationally recognized consumer advocacy groups.

About Athlete of the Year

The culmination of a yearlong effort in which 36 Lehigh Valley area student-athletes are each awarded a $1,000 scholarship based on his or her athletic achievement, leadership, and community involvement, one student is selected as the Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year, receiving a $10,000 scholarship. The winning student-athlete is chosen based on a combined vote from Coordinated Health, The Morning Call, and online voters. For the 2014-2015 school year, the Coordinated Health Athlete of the Year is Amber Thomas and the Coordinated Health Athlete of the Week with the most online votes is Travis Edmond of Southern Lehigh High School.  

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SOURCE Coordinated Health