CLEARWATER - Local tennis players will be working on their backhand while raising awareness about another kind of stroke - the kind that attacks the brain - in the first annual Morton Plant Mease Stroke for Stroke tennis tournament. The tournament will feature men's and women's competitive doubles and mixed doubles team tennis event. All proceeds will be donated to the Morton Plant Mease Foundation which benefits the four community-owned hospitals and medical programs of Morton Plant Mease Health Care.
The tournament will be held Friday, April 20 through Sunday, April 22 at the Henry L. McMullen Tennis Complex located at 1000 Edenville Avenue in Clearwater. Tennis players must be 18 years or older to participate and entry fees are $45 for men's doubles, women's doubles or mixed doubles matches; $60 to take part in men's doubles or women's doubles and mixed doubles.
In addition to the tennis tournament, Morton Plant Mease is sponsoring the following events to promote stroke awareness and family fun:
- Wednesday, April 18 - Dinner and dancing to kick off event - Bricktown 54 nightclub from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dinner provided by Lee Roy Selmon's Restaurant. Admission is free to tournament participants; $15 for all others
- Friday, April 20 - Free Mighty Munchkins Kids Night from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at McMullen Tennis Complex
- Saturday, April 21 - Free stroke screenings from 9 a.m. to noon and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at McMullen Tennis Complex
- Sunday, April 22 - Free stroke screenings from 10 a.m. to noon at McMullen Tennis Complex
The free stroke screenings include checks of blood pressure and information on recognizing risk factors for stroke. The Mighty Munchkins Kids Night is for children ages 4 to 8 and includes tennis, games and pizza.
Pre-registration is required for the tennis tournament and for the Mighty Munchkins Kids Night. The deadline for registration is April 13. Tennis tournament entry forms may be obtained at participating area tennis centers or at either of the Morton Plant Mease Wellness Centers:
Cheek-Powell Wellness Center Cheek-Powell Heart and Vascular Pavilion 455 Pinellas Street Clearwater, FL
Palm Harbor Wellness Center Palm Lake Shopping Center 32672 U.S. Hwy 19 N. Palm Harbor, FL
For registration questions please call Linda Thomson at (727) 418-8074 or Judi Morris at (727) 543-7785. Recently the hospitals of Morton Plant Mease Health Care were part of the first group of hospitals nationally to earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ for stroke care from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for the second time. The Joint Commission re-certified all four hospitals of Morton Plant Mease as Primary Stroke Centers. The Primary Stroke Center honor certifies that Morton Plant Mease is among the very best in the nation at preventing and treating strokes. It also symbolizes our strong commitment to stroke awareness education.
Nationally recognized for health care excellence, Morton Plant Mease Health Care is dedicated to providing community owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Morton Plant Mease Health Care is comprised of the following hospitals - Morton Plant, Clearwater; Mease Dunedin, Dunedin; Mease Countryside, Safety Harbor and Morton Plant North Bay, New Port Richey.
