The team at Wellington Regional Medical Center is dedicated to serving equestrians and their families during peak competition season and all year round. Wellington Regional is honored to again be the “official hospital” and sponsor of the International Polo Club Palm Beach for 2019, as well as the official hospital of the Winter Equestrian Festival and the Adequan® Global Dressage events. This means riders receive care from medical professionals who understand their unique needs and are equipped to provide comprehensive, advanced treatment, if needed.
Alex Welles has been competing in show jumping in Wellington for more than 10 years, and in that time, she relied on highly skilled orthopedic care to help her successfully overcome two separate injuries. The first involved a break of the upper part of her tibia (shinbone). She was quickly connected with orthopedic surgeon Nicholas Sama, MD, who has extensive experience caring for the equestrian community. Getting treatment that was both thorough and aggressive was important to Welles, so that she could get back to competition as soon as possible and know that her condition was treated correctly the first time. She recalls the attentive care she received and the aggressive physical therapy that followed to support a complete recovery. “Wellington Regional was great about following up,” she says, “and I can’t say enough about Dr. Sama and his team. They’re fantastic.”
Less than two years after that, she broke her shoulder and again received specialty surgical care from Dr. Sama and the hospital team. “They really got me in quickly,” she says, noting that she was riding again after eight weeks. “I think it’s incredibly valuable,” she says of having Wellington Regional close by for support. “The hospital feels brand-new, and the nursing staff is fantastic. Couple that with having an orthopedist, Dr. Sama, who cares so much. It’s not your generic kind of care. It’s really tailored to riders and their successful return to the show ring.”
Learn more in a Q&A with Dr. Sama >
“We are incredibly fortunate to have Wellington Regional Medical Center as a resource for our community's medical needs throughout the year. The treatment and care are world-class and the doctors at Wellington Regional have helped me personally overcome physical injuries I’ve sustained with great results.”
– Paige Bellissimo, Co-Founder of the Great Charity Challenge and an active equestrian living in Wellington