"Jake Snakenberg Youth Concussion Act" Draws Attention to Comprehensive Concussion Management for Children and Teens
Colorado Senate Bill 40, sponsored by State Senator Nancy Spence, is named for Jake Snakenberg, a freshman football player that died in 2004 as a result of a concussion.
- Denver, CO (1888PressRelease) February 11, 2011 - A proposed bill in the Colorado State Legislature is being applauded by the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children Youth Sports Medicine Institute for following guidelines set by its Center for Concussion Management, one of just a handful of pediatric concussion centers nationwide.
Colorado Senate Bill 40, sponsored by State Senator Nancy Spence
(R-Centennial), is named for Jake Snakenberg, a 14-year-old freshman football player from Grandview High School and constituent in her district, who died in 2004 as a result of a concussion. Since his death, Spence has worked tirelessly with many interested parties, including the Brain Injury Association of Colorado (www.biacolorado.org), which has played an important role in the development of this bill.
If passed, the bill would require coaches in Colorado schools, private sports clubs and recreation centers to successfully complete annual training (offered free online) in how to identify concussions in young athletes ages 11 to 19. It will also require coaches to remove athletes from competition immediately if they exhibit concussion-like symptoms and only allow them to participate again with written clearance from a medical professional.
Protecting Venerable Brains from Not So Obvious Injuries
Developing medical research shows that young brains don't heal as quickly as adult brains. Concussions incurred during sports are not as obvious as something like a broken bone. Snakenberg's mother, Kelli Jantz, is a nurse at HealthONE's Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center and has been a passionate advocate for raising awareness of brain injuries since Jake's death. Jantz said the fact the bill was randomly assigned the same number (40) as her son's uniform number indicates the time for this legislation is now.
"If your child was in a car accident and hit his head on the windshield, you wouldn't think twice to have him evaluated, but getting hit hard in sports is too often overlooked. As we learned, it doesn't take a major hit to be deadly. Everyone has to be paying attention to keep our kids safe."
The Center for Concussion Management at Rocky Mountain Youth Sports Medicine Institute provides comprehensive services for the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of concussion in children and teenagers. During the 2009-2010 school year, the center received more than 150 referrals of student athletes and expects to surpass that number this school year.
"We take a community-based approach that helps to correctly identify concussions and provide guidance for the right time for the child to return to play," said Dr. Brooke Pengel, medical director of the Rocky Mountain Youth Sports Medicine Institute. "In addition, members of our staff have volunteered hundreds of hours teaching concussion management guidelines to coaches, parents, school districts, and club sports organizations around the country in order to address this important issue."
National Attention for Concussion Management
This year, the National Football League, among others, began to emphasize the importance of attention to brain injuries.
To support these efforts, HealthONE's Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children Youth Sports Medicine Institute recently partnered with the Denver Broncos. The organizations recently teamed up to offer free concussion management training to nearly 200 high school coaches and players at the Broncos headquarters.
In the past year, the Rocky Mountain Youth Sports Medicine Institute has offered free concussion management training to more than 1,500 coaches, parents and players through a number of schools, community organizations and recreation leagues. School organizations from three different states have contacted the Rocky Mountain Youth Sports Medicine Institute to identify ways they can develop a similar multi-disciplinary approach to concussion management.
About Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children
Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke's (RMHC) is a regional resource for specialty pediatric care founded in 1977 by private practice pediatric specialists at HealthONE's Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver. The Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children campus at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center is home to the region's largest and busiest neonatal intensive care. It is the only center in the region that offers both high-risk pregnancy care and neonatology on one campus - keeping mothers and babies together in the same hospital for optimal care. Patients are cared for by only board-certified or board-eligible physicians to provide the highest level of care.
www.rockymountainhospitalforchildren.com
About HealthONE
HCA-HealthONE LLC is the largest healthcare system in the metro Denver area with 8,500 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. Named Colorado's "Best Company for Working Families -- large business category," in 2004, 2005 and 2006, the health system was created in 1995 as a 50/50 joint venture between non-profit The Colorado Health Foundation (formerly HealthONE Alliance), Colorado's 2nd-largest charitable foundation, and various affiliates of HCA.
HealthONE includes: The Medical Center of Aurora and Centennial Medical Plaza; North Suburban Medical Center; Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center and Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children; Rose Medical Center; Sky Ridge Medical Center; Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital; Swedish Medical Center and Swedish Southwest ER; 11 ambulatory surgical centers; more than 30 occupational medicine/rehabilitation, Broncos Sports Medicine, specialty, and outpatient diagnostic imaging clinics; and AIRLIFE, which provides critical care air and ground transportation for a seven-state region.
www.HealthONEcares.com
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