How it all began

As Central Oregon’s only nonprofit solely dedicated to providing sports medicine as a means to ensure youth are safe, healthy, and protected in an active lifestyle, The Center Foundation plays a fundamental role in improving the awareness, education, and proper management of concussions and injuries in youth and high school athletes.

Formed in 2000 by physicians at The Center Orthopedic & Neurosurgical Care & Research in Bend, Oregon, The Center Foundation is a national innovator in the prevention, diagnosis, and management of sports-related concussions. We believe that keeping kids active and involved in sports is important to their overall physical, social, and educational development. That is why The Center Foundation supports school athletic and intramural programs by providing sports medicine services and concussion management in Central Oregon high schools at no cost to students or parents.

In 2000, The Center Foundation became the first organization west of the Mississippi River to adopt and implement the University of Pittsburgh’s ImPACT Concussion Program, a nationally recognized concussion management program. Since that time, we have conducted over 15,000 baseline tests and managed over 2,000 concussions for Central Oregon high school athletes.