Nuxhall Miracle League To Receive Athletic Training Care from Mercy Health

FAIRFIELD, OH (April 22, 2026)— The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields is proud to announce a new athletic training partnership with Mercy Health, further enhancing the safety, care, and overall experience of the special needs athletes participating in Miracle League programs and activities.

Through this partnership, Mercy Health will provide certified athletic trainers and medical support for athletes at the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for players of all abilities. The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to health, wellness, and community engagement.

"This partnership represents an important step forward in our mission to provide a safe, supportive, and joyful experience for every athlete who takes the field,” said Tyler Bradshaw, Executive Director of The Nuxhall Foundation. “Having Mercy Health alongside us ensures our players, families, volunteers, and spectators receive high-quality care from trusted professionals who understand the unique needs of our community.”

The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields provide baseball and recreational opportunities for athletes with physical and developmental disabilities. Currently, the organization is home to more than 400 special needs athletes across its youth and adult leagues.

To support those special needs all-stars, Mercy Health’s involvement will include on-site athletic training services during games and events, injury prevention education, proactive health promotion, and support for staff and volunteers. The partnership underscores Mercy Health’s dedication to serving the community beyond traditional clinical settings. The new partnership will also establish a great educational opportunity for future health professionals, with athletic training students and medical residents completing clinical hours and experiences during games and events. 

“At Mercy Health, we believe every athlete deserves to play in a safe and supportive environment,” says Lisa Sweeterman, Director of Sports Medicine Partnerships with Mercy Health – Cincinnati. “Partnering with the Nuxhall Miracle League allows our athletic trainers to do what they do best: provide compassionate, high-quality care while supporting athletes of all abilities. We’re proud to be part of a program that so clearly embodies inclusion, dignity, and joy.”

The new partnership is completely funded through the Bon Secours Mercy Health Foundation, which works to improve the health and well-being of communities served by Mercy Health to bring good to those in need.

“This partnership reflects the heart of our mission at the Mercy Health Foundation—to bring good to those in need and strengthen the communities we serve,” says Missy Herndon-Deters, President of the Mercy Health Foundation – Cincinnati. “By fully funding this collaboration, we’re ensuring that special needs athletes and their families have access to the care, safety, and support they deserve, both on and off the field.”

Visit Mercy Health

The new partnership with Mercy Health will begin this season, with athletic trainers on-site during all Great Miami Valley YMCA Youth League and Therapeutic Recreation for the Disabled Adult League games.

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About The Nuxhall Foundation

The Nuxhall Foundation is the legacy foundation for former Major League Baseball pitcher and longtime Cincinnati Reds broadcaster, the late Joe Nuxhall. The Nuxhall Foundation carries forward three important legacy projects. A central project of The Nuxhall Foundation is The Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields—an entirely accessible baseball and recreational facility where every player with every challenge gets every chance to play. Historically, nearly 300 athletes with physical and developmental disabilities aged 4 to 80 participate in programs at the Miracle League Fields. The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Scholarship (in conjunction with the Fairfield Community Foundation) provides more than $40,000 per year in scholarship money to student athletes at all 14 Butler County high schools. Very soon, the Joe Nuxhall Memorial Scholarship will cross the million-dollar mark in scholarship money awarded. The Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund pitches good character to young leaders throughout Greater Cincinnati by delivering and supporting programs that stress the importance of integrity, humility, respect, and kindness. In 2024, The Nuxhall Foundation launched a $12 million capital campaign to construct The Hope Center, a year-round recreational facility for athletes with special needs that will help to create the world's most comprehensive athletic campus for individuals with disabilities.

For more information, visit http://www.nuxhallmiracleleague.org.

For all media inquiries or to schedule an appearance, please contact:

Tyler Bradshaw

Executive Director, The Nuxhall Foundation

(513) 839-6164

tyler@nuxhallmiracleleague.org 

About Mercy Health - Cincinnati 

Mercy Health - Cincinnati is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH), one of the 20 largest health systems in the United States and the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country. The ministry’s quality, compassionate care is provided by nearly 60,000 associates serving communities in Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as throughout Ireland. Mercy Health – Cincinnati has been serving Greater Cincinnati for more than 160 years and provides an integrated network of leading physicians, compassionate caregivers, comprehensive services and exceptional care at more than 180 locations across the region. The Mercy Health – Cincinnati network of care includes six award-winning hospitals, senior living communities, primary care and specialty physician practices, outpatient centers, fitness centers and a variety of outreach programs. Mercy Health - Cincinnati hospitals have earned national Truven Health Analytics’ 100 Top Hospitals honors more than all other Cincinnati hospitals combined, placing them among the best hospitals in the nation. Truven has also named Mercy Health - Cincinnati as one of the nation’s Top 15 health systems six times, which is more than any other health system in Cincinnati. In 2024, BSMH provided more than $500 million dollars in community benefit across five states, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to health care for our patients in need. In addition to charity care, BSMH invests in programs that address chronic illness, affordable housing, access to healthy food, education and wellness programs, transportation support, workforce development and other social determinants and drivers of health that directly affect the communities we serve. The Mission of Bon Secours Mercy Health is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of its communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved. To learn more visit, mercy.com.  

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