Quest Diagnostics and New York Giants Team Up in a Partnership to Enhance Athletes' Health and Performance

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) and the New York Giants are teaming up to find new ways to use laboratory diagnostic information services to improve the health and performance of athletes of all ages and abilities through a new collaboration.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130717/NY48934LOGO )

The partnership was announced today at the Giants' headquarters and training facility at the MetLife Sports Complex.  The Giants headquarters and training facility is newly renamed as the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.  Quest Diagnostics, the world's leading provider of laboratory diagnostic information services, becomes a Proud Partner in Health with the New York Giants.

The Giants will collaborate and consult with Quest Diagnostics to develop new sports diagnostics services. The aim is to assist Quest in identifying and developing models and tests to help determine peak performance, provide meaningful training insights, develop analytics to maximize game day performance, reduce injuries and improve an individual's overall health. Quest will offer the services through its newly formed sports diagnostic business.

Each year, a select group of Giants players will be given the opportunity to volunteer to work with Quest in developing these models and tests.

"For our league and for this franchise, nothing is more important than player health and safety," said Giants president John Mara. "We have made tremendous advancement in this area in recent years. We see our relationship with Quest as the next step in the process of achieving a healthier and safer game during our players' careers and after their playing days."

"The Giants partnership will allow us to help athletes everywhere improve their health and performance," said Quest Diagnostics president and CEO Steve Rusckowski. "This new relationship is yet another example of how we are delivering on our vision to empower better health through diagnostic insights."

In addition to working directly with a select group of players every season, Quest Diagnostics will provide lab services to the Giants. Quest's leading scientists and physicians, led by Jon Cohen, M.D., Quest's chief medical officer and senior vice president, will collaborate with Giants senior vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes, who has been with the organization for 38 years and is the longest tenured certified athletic trainer in the NFL. Barnes and the Giants' team of health care professionals will work with Dr. Cohen and his staff to uncover sports diagnostics insights for both the Giants as well as amateur and recreational athletes.  

The two organizations will also co-participate in educational events, including the annual "NBC 4 New York & NY Giants Health and Fitness Expo" to promote a healthier world by highlighting the role of diagnostic testing and information in helping people to stay healthy and fit. Additional terms were not disclosed.

Added Giants chairman Steve Tisch, "In many ways, this partnership with Quest is a natural. It is a proud, New Jersey-based company with a strong national presence, and this partnership puts the focus on athletics where it belongs: advancing a healthy lifestyle not just for our players but for everybody."

The organizations also share a deep commitment to New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area as a whole. With its corporate headquarters, nearly 3,000 local employees and more than four-decade history in New Jersey, Quest provides substantial economic impact and benefit to the Garden State.

"Today we are formalizing a relationship that in reality has existed for 30 years," said Barnes. "We have utilized Quest's services as part of our treatment and care for our players. We look forward to developing and implementing practical advancements in assessing training and performance for all athletes."

"The Giants have shown that the health of their players, both past and present, is a top priority," said Dr. Cohen of Quest. "We are excited to work with the Giants' veteran athletic trainer Ronnie Barnes and his staff to create diagnostic insights and solutions that will optimize training, improve performance and reduce the risk of injury for athletes everywhere."

About the New York Giants

A cornerstone franchise of the National Football League, the New York Football Giants began play in 1925. With eight championships, including a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, their second in five seasons, the Giants are the only franchise in the NFL with a Super Bowl victory in each of the last four decades. Headquartered at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., the Giants enter their 89^th season of play this fall.  www.giants.com

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company, which has more than 40,000 employees and reported $7.4 billion in revenues in 2012, serves about half the physicians and hospitals and one in three adults in the U.S. annually. The company provides a broad menu ranging from simple cholesterol and diabetes blood tests to highly advanced genomic tests for cancer and other diseases.  The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic information services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. www.QuestDiagnostics.com. Follow us at Facebook.com/QuestDiagnostics and Twitter.com/QuestDX.

New York Giants Contacts:
Peter John-Baptiste, 201-935-8111 x1033

Quest Diagnostics Contacts:
Media: Brian Walker, MATTER, 917-445-9313 or
Wendy Bost, Quest Diagnostics 973-520-2800
Investors: Dan Haemmerle 973-520-2900

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated