The Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program (CSCP) at LifeBridge Health has been awarded a $5,800 grant by the Sinai Hospital Auxiliary. Designed to diagnose and treat sports-related concussions with the most optimal treatment, the CSCP is a collaboration between LifeBridge Sports Medicine, the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute, and the Sinai Rehabilitation Center.
The CSCP will use the funds to support the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of concussions in student-athletes at schools in underserved communities that surround Sinai Hospital.
“We are honored to have received this award. It provides us an exciting opportunity to identify student-athletes in need of intervention, to promote their recovery and to help them keep pace in class while they are recovering from their concussive symptoms,” said Julie O’Reilly, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at the Berman Brain & Spine Institute. “It will also allow us to further promote concussion awareness and prevention.”
Through the “Keeping Our Most Vulnerable Kids Safe Program,” health professionals at the CSCP will administer Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) to student-athletes. ImPACT is a computer-based self-test that measures brain processing speed, memory and visual motor skills, all of which have been shown to be affected when a person sustains a concussion. In a two-phased model, student-athletes are tested at the beginning of their respective sports seasons to obtain baseline readings of their cognitive abilities. Then, should one of those tested sustain a concussion or suspected concussion during the season, he or she is tested again, and test scores are compared; a decline in scores suggests that the student-athlete has had a concussion and that medical intervention should be sought. Test scores are also used to aid in diagnosis and treatment and to determine the best course of action for the affected child. In addition to testing, grant funds will be used to educate parents and coaches about this very important topic.
“This program is based on realized deficiencies across the country for better education and clinical management of concussions and to accelerate recovery from injury so that children can return to school and to competitive sports quickly in a way that promotes their optimal health,” added Kevin Crutchfield, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program.
To learn more about the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at LifeBridge Health, call 410-601-WELL or click here.
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