Children's National and MedStar Team Up For Concussion Awareness in the District

Over the course of six months, Children’s National and MedStar Sports Medicine will provide education and training events for youth, student athletes, athletic program administrators, coaches, school nurses, teachers, and parents. The goal is to educate each group on how to identify a suspected concussion and when student athletes can return to school and play. Working with various government, school, parenting, and athletic organizations, the partners will continue to evaluate and improve concussion awareness, implement training programs, and help to develop and enforce the stipulations surrounding the Athletic Concussion Protection Act. 
Co-Principal Investigator and MedStar NRH’s Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer Michael R. Yochelson, MD, believes in the importance of detection, stating, “It is critical that everyone involved in youth athletics has the ability to recognize the signs  and symptoms associated with concussion in order to remove student athletes  from play if a concussion is suspected.” 

“Traumatic brain injuries affect millions of young athletes annually,” says grant lead, Children’s National Spokesperson, and Co-Principal Investigator Gerard Gioia, PhD. “By educating and working with the community to identify a concussion and manage it, we can ensure that our children have the greatest potential to succeed not just on the playing field but at school and the other aspects of their lives.” The partnership between Children’s National and MedStar Sports Medicine is an important one, as both organizations bring significant expertise and resources for the protection of student athletes from the effects of concussion.

While the first of a series of train the trainer events began today, June 18, the beginning of the grant’s activities began on May 11, 2015, when the grant leaders sponsored the event “Scholar Athletes to Successful Leaders,” at The City Club of Washington, DC. Shireen Atabaki, MD, MPH, from Children’s National presented the Concussion Care & Training Program. During her presentation, she emphasized the fact that the District of Columbia is the first jurisdiction to fund training and public awareness for Athletic Concussion Protection. This initiative will focus on underserved student athletes who are the most vulnerable. The day-long forum brought together District school athletic teams and DC Council Members, where they discussed various topics including workforce development, health, wellness, and concussions. 

“The District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH) believes that establishing a pilot concussion program to support the Athletic Concussion Protection Act will help pave a national pathway for other states nationwide, as concussions affect young athletes everywhere. This is part of Mayor Bowser’s mandate to improve the health and wellness of the residents of our city,” notes DOH Director, LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, MD, MPH.

Although estimates of mild traumatic brain injuries, or concussions, are unclear at this time, well over 1 million are believed to occur annually among student athletes, making it a serious public health issue in the United States.