WHITE PLAINS, NY –Gerard Gioia, Ph.D. Chief of Pediatric Neuropsychology at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and co-author of the CDC’s HEADS UP Concussions in Youth Sports initiative will be one of the featured speakers at an upcoming concussion conference hosted by Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino. Part of Astorino’s “Safer Sports” initiative and focused on high school sports, the conference is open to the public at no charge, and parents, coaches, trainers, high school athletes and teachers are encouraged to attend. It will be held at the Westchester County Center in White Plains on Thursday, August 20 and begins at 5:30 p.m. Those interested in attending should RSVP to Deetra Santos at dys1@westchestergov.com or (914) 995-5245.
Attendees will learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of sports concussions; the importance of proper sideline, baseline and post-injury assessment; how to navigate specific treatment options; and how to get back on the field and in the classroom in good health.
“This conference is important for anyone who cares for and is involved with the high school athlete,” Astorino said. “The more we know about sports concussions, the better we can manage the injury if it does occur and mitigate any lasting effects.”
Gioia will speak on the “strategies for a successful return to school post-injury: the medical-school partnership.”
Other speakers and topics include:
· Steven Flanagan, M.D. Director, NYU Langone Concussion Program
– Epidemiology and scope of the problem and Neuroimaging
· Barry Jordan, M.D. Asst. Medical Director, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
– Neurological and Medical Aspects of Concussion
· Dave Byrnes, ATC, President, Section One Athletic Trainers Society
– Role of the Athletic Trainer in Concussion Management
· Mark Herceg, PhD, Commissioner of Community Mental Health
– Proper baseline and post injury assessment and task force initiative update.
Last month, Astorino announced the creation of a concussion task force to develop a model program that will be available to local high schools voluntarily to help them address the full spectrum of managing sports-related concussions. The task force, headed by Herceg, has been working and meeting during the last several weeks to develop the key pieces of what a model program would look like.
Astorino said that while there have been great strides in understanding concussions, developing concussion protocols and improving safety rules and equipment, there was still room for improvement, especially with respect to post-injury management on the inter-scholastic sports level.