Northwell named PGA Championship's official health care provider

Northwell Health on Wednesday said it has been named the official health care provider of the 2019 PGA Championship, which will be held at Bethpage Black in May.

The New Hyde Park-based health system didn't disclose how much it was spending on the sponsorship at the Farmingdale course at Bethpage State Park.

The PGA Championship is one of golf's four major annual tournaments.

As part of the deal, Northwell will provide medical services at the event. Three on-course medical stations will be staffed by Northwell Health emergency medicine physicians and orthopedic surgeons, as well as registered nurses and certified athletic trainers.

Emergency care will be covered by the health system’s Center for Emergency Medical Services, the largest hospital-based ambulance service in the metropolitan area.

Northwell staff will also offer education on prevention and wellness for attendees, and have signage integrated within the course.

"This event has a tremendous amount of visibility," said Ramon Soto, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Northwell Health. "There will be 200,000 people on the grounds during the tournament, and most of them Long Islanders. It's a great opportunity to engage the public and share our message."

Soto added that Northwell was looking at airing television advertisements touting its services during broadcasts of the tournament.

"As part of our national media mix, we buy into events with big visibility," Soto said. 

Northwell also has sports sponsorships with the New York Rangers and New York Mets, and doesn't release how much it spends on those deals.

The health system also agreed to spend about $3 million in 2017 to purchase the naming rights at the Jones Beach Theater.

New York State will collect nearly $1.2 million of the money as part of the deal Northwell struck with Live Nation, an entertainment and ticketing company that operates the theater at Jones Beach State Park.

New Hyde Park-based Northwell Health is the largest private employer in New York, with 68,000 employees.