OVERLAND PARK SOCCER COMPLEX WENT PINK 

2014 MIDWEST ALL GIRLS TOURNAMENT SUPPORTS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

 The award-winning Overland Park Soccer Complex was turned pink Oct 10-12 as thousands of soccer players from around the region took to the fields for the Midwest All Girls (MAG) soccer tournament. Johnson County healthcare leaders Menorah Medical Center and Overland Park Regional Medical Center, along with Midwest Physicians, are the exclusive healthcare partners with Heartland Soccer Association (HSA) and the Overland Park Soccer Complex, both headquartered in Overland Park.

And in an unprecedented show of support for breast cancer awareness and to serve as a visual reminder that early screening saves lives, OP Soccer Complex staff and MAG tournament staff wore pink t-shirts. The field marshals wore pink HCA vests, and referees used pink flags. Pink corner flags were posted on every field during the tournament.

The weekend's pink presence was designed to call attention to October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and remind women to get their mammogram. The MAG featured 289 teams from seven states, drawing thousands of players, parents, grandparents and families from across the region in one of the Kansas City metropolitan area's largest all girls annual soccer tournaments.

The hospitals, a part of HCA Midwest Health System, Kansas City's largest healthcare network, hosted an interactive community health fair as a part of their commitment to keeping the community healthy. Sports medicine physicians, certified athletic trainers, cancer specialists and therapists were on hand to provide tips on staying healthy. With the expertise of the area's largest physician network and award-winning hospitals with advanced technology and high-quality, compassionate care, Menorah, Overland Park Regional and Midwest Physicians make the partnership with HSA a win-win for athletes, coaches, parents and the medical professionals who attend tournaments and league play throughout the year.

"Coming out to a sea of pink and listening to kids ask their moms to get their Mammogram was exciting," says Anne Kobbermann, Surgical Breast Oncologist. "We had three media outlets interview our experts, and parents on "PINK OUT", so the awareness went beyond the fields and to a broader community. That's truly how you make an impact on breast cancer awareness, and the message the early screening saves lives."