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News Regional & State News Praise for improved measures to keep student athletes with concussions off the field
Wednesday, 02 November 2011 17:03

Praise for improved measures to keep student athletes with concussions off the field

Written by  Tim Lambert and Radio Pennsylvania

(Harrisburg) -- New rules may soon keep student athletes who suffer concussions off the field longer across the state. Pennsylvania Brain Injury Coalition Chairman Mike Miller says he's pleased the Safety in Youth Sports Act, now on its way to the governor's desk, calls for raising awareness as well as mandatory coaches' training. "What the training does really is it focuses on teaching these people how to recognize the symptoms of a concussion," he says. Miller says it's key that the measure contains a requirement that coaches must remove students from a game if they show signs of a concussion or traumatic brain injury. "We see it a lot in high schoool sports and unfortunately, up until this legislation, sometimes it goes untreated, if you would," he says. "The student is allowed to go back into competition much too soon." The measure also prohibits coaches from returning the student to play until the athlete is evaluated and cleared in writing. Such clearance must come from a physician or a health care professional trained in the evaluation and management of concussions.

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