Law Aims to Prevent Youth Concussions

Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday signed a new bill into law that is intended to curb serious head injuries suffered by young athletes.

Besides some additional annual certification for its 120 coaches, the Chartiers Valley athletic director thinks is already prepared to protect their students from reoccurring concussions.

Frank Vulcano Jr., the Chartiers Valley athletic director, said all middle and high school athletes receive an IMPACT test before the season, which is a baseline measurement that can be compared to post-concussion symptoms. UPMC devised the test several years ago to measure cognitive functions, and Chartiers Valley has been testing for the past three years.

“We’re trying to stay ahead of the game,” Vulcano said. “The health of all of our athletes is very important, so we wanted to get ahead of that curve (with testing) to protect the players.”

, which goes into effect July 1, establishes standards for managing concussions and other brain injuries. It requires student athletes who may have suffered a head injury to be removed from the activity and not allow them to return to play until they have been medically cleared. In addition, it requires coaches to be trained annually and establishes penalties for those who don’t comply.

“I think the major impact for us is all coaches will be certified on a yearly basis, which I don’t think is a bad thing to make them aware of the symptoms,” Vulcano said.

The precautions also extend to youth leagues.

Dave Windsheimer, vice president of the Junior Colts, said coaches in the tried to take several measures to prevent problems. Certain coaches on each team went through training and wear “badges” with a checklist of symptoms and procedures if they suspect a child suffered a concussion.

“You wear it around your neck, so if a child is hit in the head, you can go through it,” Windsheimer said. “It’s like a trouble-shooting sheet, so they’ve been aware of the importance of concussions.”

Windsheimer added that each player was also IMPACT tested at no cost to the league. He’s unsure how exactly the new law will impact youth football, but said the league and Junior Colts coaches already were working to prevent concussions.

“The last few years, the league has been striving on its own,” Windsheimer said.

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