Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente and RAJ Sports, the parent company of the Portland Thorns and Portland Fire, have entered a partnership aimed at expanding medical care and wellness services for professional women athletes and strengthening community programming in Portland, Ore.
Here are six things to know about the partnership:
- Kaiser Permanente will provide medical services for players on both teams and serve as the integrated health partner for a new dual-sport performance center scheduled to open in early 2026, according to a Feb. 5 news release.
- Kaiser Permanente physicians will serve as team physicians and primary care physicians for both teams. The care model will include sports medicine, injury prevention, rehabilitation, mental health support and long-term athlete health services.
- The new facility, called the Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, will serve as the home for both franchises. The complex is described as a dual-purpose professional soccer and basketball training site designed around women athletes, with integrated training environments, recovery and rehabilitation stations, and medical infrastructure in one location.
- In the coming months, RAJ Sports is expected to name a chief medical officer from Kaiser Permanente to serve both teams, the release said.
- The partnership also includes a community component. Kaiser Permanente will serve as a Community Game Changer Partner for both teams and support initiatives tied to youth development, health equity and programs designed to empower girls and women in the region. As part of that effort, Kaiser Permanente will also serve as the presenting partner of the EmpowHER Awards, a women’s empowerment initiative launched by RAJ Sports on National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 4.
The performance center is currently under construction and is set to open in 2026. Planned features include a 63,000-square-foot main training facility, a 17,000-square-foot practice gym with two full-size basketball courts, two outdoor soccer pitches, dedicated medical and treatment suites, and community spaces for clinics, classes and youth programs.
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