Astorino Outlines Concussion Plan for County’s Schools
By Kevin Mayne
County Executive Rob Astorino unveiled a plan on Monday to address the way sports concussions are identified and treated with a focus on reducing risks for high school athletes.
Joined by local, state and national concussion care experts and advocates in White Plains, Astorino unveiled a Best Practices list with the goal of improving the outcomes of sports-related concussions. The plan, which was developed in conjunction with the Safer Sports initiative, was released six months after Astorino announced the creation of the Westchester Concussion Task Force. The task force is comprised of local doctors, educators, coaches and trainers.
“We have put together 10 best practices on how to address the identification and treatment on sports-related concussions,” Astorino said. “Concussion treatment like all medical issues is a very complex subject. Our goal is not to scare parents, we want to educate parents. I want kids playing sports all over Westchester County. It’s good for them for a whole host of reasons and with a sports background, both playing when I was younger, in sports radio my whole life and now as a father and a coach, I want kids to play sports.”
Among the steps emphasized in the plan is to formally educate parents, students, representatives of youth sports programs and school personnel about concussions and protocols; encourage schools and youth sports organizations to have a designated concussion management team; report all concussions and any lasting symptoms; and use athletic trainers and conduct sideline assessments that can be compared to baseline behavior in order to capture concussions as they occur.
Other practices include having school districts and youth programs provide referrals to specialists; ensure that all stakeholders understand the impact of concussions on children; make sure that properly trained professionals such as athletic trainers can conduct sideline tests and that the results are reviewed by a neuropsychologist or school psychologist; and make sure schools have a return-to-learn plan to address issues youngsters face as they return to the classroom after an injury. Returning to the classroom does not always mean return to play.
Astorino said the primary responsibility will be with parents and school officials. The Safer Sports initiative was created after a meeting between Astorino and Dr. Mark Herceg, the county’s commissioner of Community Mental Health.
“Having worked in brain injury rehab for many years prior to my appointment, I am proud that the county executive uses the resources of knowledge in Westchester to address the gaps in concussion care with the goal to improve collaboration,” Herceg said. “It is important that management and treatment of concussions is handled properly, especially for our children and teenagers.”
Scott Cohen, a Scarsdale High School senior who attended Monday’s press conference announcing the best practices plan, sustained a concussion as a freshman football player and had prolonged issues.
“I ended up missing the first two months of my freshman year, which was very difficult,” Cohen said. “Coming back was very hard. I didn’t know where I was going in the building, I didn’t know any of my teachers and on top of that my brain wasn’t fully healed yet. A lot of my teachers didn’t really know how to deal with a kid who had a concussion, which was completely understandable.”
Brain Injury Association of New York State CEO Eileen Reardon and Shana DeCaro, an association board member, praised Astorino and the task force for helping to educate the public on the importance of concussion awareness, prevention and treatment in Westchester schools.
“Concussions are brain injuries,” Reardon said. “They are an important health concern among all children who participate in sports and recreational activities.”
The Best Practices have been published in a booklet called “Safer Sports: A Collaborative Response for Westchester to Sports-Related Concussions.” The booklet with the full list of best practices is available at www.westchestergov.com/safer-communities.
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