School district promotes safe play

The Mat-Su Borough School District is taking steps to ensure its student-athletes are playing safe.

In conjunction with Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the district hosted the two-day “Playing it Safe” conference late last week. Its seminars were designed to educate the public and help make everyone aware of the growing concern about the potential of serious and possibly long-term injuries that can be caused by concussions

It’s a positive step to bring attention to an issue that is frequently discussed nationally, but not necessarily at the local level. In recent years, stories of former professional and collegiate athletes facing major health problems because of concussions during their playing careers have become national headlines.

But this is not just a national issue. Young athletes, even in small communities such as the Valley, are not immune from the potential harmful effects of a concussion.

The conference comes weeks after Gov. Sean Parnell signed House Bill 15, an initiative designed to help protect athletes from incurring serious brain injuries that can be caused by concussions.

This bill mandates that student-athletes suspected of having suffered a concussion be immediately removed from the activity and not allowed to return until a medical professional clears them.

The Alaska School Activities Association, the state’s governing body for high school sports, has also taken steps to promote education in the interest of limiting the potential for harm.

District officials organized the conference to not only educate parents, coaches, athletes and health care providers about House Bill 15, but also to make them aware of just how serious concussions and traumatic brain injuries can be.

District officials also stressed there is potential for suffering a concussion in every sport or recreational activity. It’s not just a problem in sports, which traditionally include a high rate of contact, such as football and hockey. The key is properly diagnosing a potential concussion and knowing how to treat and care for the student-athlete following the injury.

Football and hockey are part of a trial program the district will kick off this year, which includes administering a basic neurological baseline test. The ImPACT Concussion Management Program is a computerized test that assesses a student-athlete’s neurological baseline. This information can be used to properly understand how much a concussion affects a student-athlete. It can be used as a tool when monitoring athletes who have suffered a concussion and determining when that student is allowed to return to their sport.

Athletes would continue to be tested until they return to their baseline.

This test will allow professionals to use scientific data to properly decide when it’s appropriate to allow the student-athlete to return to their sport. It reduces the need for parents, coaches and medical professionals to make potentially risky judgment calls that may lead to farther harm.

The efforts of our local and state officials should be commended. Not only is the district providing opportunity for our students to participate in activities, but district officials are also promoting safety.