INDIANAPOLIS - (AUG. 27, 2005) - St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital will partner with Dan Wheldon, winner of the 2005 Indianapolis 500® and current points leader in the Indy Racing League® (IRL), in a marketing and sponsor relationship.
Wheldon will be featured in a hospital marketing campaign headed by Indianapolis based Publicis, USA. Reaching across central Indiana, this campaign will consist of television and radio commercials, print advertising in media outlets, company brochures, collateral materials and on company websites.
"Since I first moved to Indianapolis, the St.Vincent Sports Performance Center has played an integral part in my fitness training and I’m proud to have the opportunity to help promote St.Vincent," said Wheldon.
"I can honestly attribute a lot of my success on the racetrack to the strength training and conditioning I receive from everyone in the St.Vincent family. I certainly appreciate their work, their friendship, their guidance and their support of my racing, and I look forward to continuing this relationship for years to come," Wheldon said.
"Everyone at St.Vincent is truly excited over Dan's big win at the Indy 500 and his successful season with the IRL," said Patricia Maryland, Dr. P.H., president of St.Vincent Hospitals and Health Services.
"Dan has been a client of our St.Vincent Sports Performance Center since it opened in 2001. He and his entire pit crew for the #26 car train under the professional guidance of trainers Shane White and Ryan Harber, both of whom are associates at the St.Vincent Sports Performance Center. We’re happy to have Dan among the many customers and patients we care for each day, " Maryland said.
Ralph Reiff, director of the St.Vincent Sports Performance Center, said the relationship with Wheldon is an example of the comprehensive sports medicine services offered at St.Vincent.
"Dan Wheldon exemplifies excellence," said Reiff. His work ethic merged with his extraordinary driver talent is a great example to all athletes. Dan is a wonderful embassador for St. Vincent."
Currently leading the IRL Driver Points Championship for Andretti Green Racing, Wheldon is the hottest driver in the IndyCar® Series, capturing race wins in four of the first five races of the season, including the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500®. He became the first Englishman to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since the late Graham Hill in 1966. His seven career wins in the IRL have come in his last 24 events, by far the best stretch in the 10-year history of the League. Wheldon was also nominated for an ESPY Award as "Driver of the Year" and was selected as the Speed Channel’s second quarter Driver of the Year for 2005.
St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital is the flagship hospital of St.Vincent Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in Indiana. St.Vincent is dedicated to spiritually centered holistic care, which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital is one of 16 facilities in the Indianapolis-based St.Vincent Health network. A member of Ascension Health, the largest Catholic healthcare system in the country, the ageless mission of St.Vincent is to minister to the bodies, minds and spirits of those in need, regardless of religion.
