NATA

2nd Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport

Posted on March 25, 2016March 24, 2016 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Alicia Pike, Assistant Director of Youth Sport Safety

National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) President, Scott Sailor, kicked off the 2^nd Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport (CSSS) Meeting with a powerful statement. “Nearly all deaths and serious injuries can be avoided when proper steps are taken.” A continuation of last year’s inaugural meeting in New York City, the NATA and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM), with assistance from the Korey Stringer Institute, brought together each state’s High School Athletic Association Executive Director and Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Chair for the second year in a row to discuss proactive policy changes and states’ progress on various health and safety initiatives at the secondary school level.

On March 22, 2016, Dr. Brian Hainline, Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA, opened the meeting with the keynote address, speaking on the challenges of change. A session followed titled, “Where are we now?” facilitated by Douglas Casa, Robert Huggins, Larry Cooper and Thomas Dompier. This session focused on progress made in policy change, athletic training coverage across the nation, proper injury prevention strategies specific to Heads-Up Football, and an overview of data from the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention. The meeting portion of day one concluded with small group breakout sessions, quite valuable for those in attendance, as they spoke candidly with one another about successes and barriers pertaining to sport safety policy implementation.

Day two began with a keynote address from Martha Lopez-Anderson, Chair of the Board of Directors for Parent Heart Watch. Turning tragedy into triumph, Martha shared her heartbreaking personal story that led to her involvement in this organization, and advocated for the implementation of prevention strategies for sudden cardiac arrest in the youth population, including placing AED’s in all locations, cardiac screening, and getting appropriate personnel trained in CPR/AED use. Following her keynote, a session dedicated to mental health issues in student-athletes ensued. Although not directly in the spotlight, mental health is a true problem. Dr. Brian Hainline stressed the importance of having an emergency action plan in place for mental health issues, similar to the ones implemented to manage various incidents such as cervical spine or head injuries. Alongside Dr. Hainline, John Reynolds, Dr. Cindy Chang, and Dr. Francis O’Connor also facilitated this session. From sharing success stories on the promotion of mental wellness in a school district, to discussions on the prevalence and consequences of disordered eating and performance-enhancing drug use, attendees were informed of proper strategies to take in limiting and managing mental health issues in student-athletes.

Taking a different approach this year, attendees were allowed to choose from three different breakout sessions, providing opportunities to promote discussion in small groups about personal experiences, struggles, and successes with cardiac and heat policy implementation, and employing athletic trainers in secondary schools. This created an environment of close collaboration, with states getting feedback for themselves while simultaneously helping each other. NATA President, Scott Sailor, said it best. “With your [attendees] collaborative support we will make a difference. We will save lives, reduce injuries, and create a playing environment that ensures health and safety first.” It was another incredibly successful CSSS Meeting, and we anticipate the next to result in even greater strides towards improving sport safety in the secondary school setting.

ATLAS Update: Vermont Taking Initiative

Posted on March 11, 2016March 10, 2016 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Sarah Attanasio, Assistant Director of Sport Safety Policies

Happy National Athletic Training Month! As the word is spreading, more information is being collected about the extent of athletic training services through out the country. KSI and the NATA secondary schools committee continue to work together to encourage athletic trainers employed in the high school setting nationwide, to complete the ATLAS (Athletic Training Locations and Services) survey.

The ATLAS team has been working very closely with Denise Alosa, the District 1 secondary school representative from Vermont the past months. Thanks to her hard work in the state of Vermont, they are one of the first states to have responded and collect information whether an athletic trainer is present and the extent of coverage at every school in the state of Vermont. “The information in the survey is amazing, it can provide contact information within their own state or if you are looking to higher an AT for your school or improve a situation; the maps can be useful,” Alosa said.

As of March 2016, more than 3,400 athletic trainers nation wide have responded to the ATLAS survey. Alosa working hard with the ATLAS initiative comments, “Being in the profession for a long time, I have seen it evolve, you have to get involved to keep things moving forward”. The use of these maps can be helpful for present athletic trainers in the work force as well as new athletic trainers seeking positions as the vocation continues to grow and evolve.

With the influx of completed surveys the last few months, it is becoming more apparent what the survey can provide. Denise Alosa added, “Eventually we will be able to obtain insurance information, policy information and best practices within each state. It is good to start somewhere now, where it is doable. Any grass roots have to start somewhere.” The ATLAS Project has grown immensely since it was created years ago, with the dedication of an extensive work force of volunteers, undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctorates, professors and athletic trainers nationwide.

#NATM2016

ATLAS Project- Gaining Momentum

Posted on February 16, 2016May 2, 2016 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, Vice President of Research and Elite Athlete Health and Performance

As we prepare for Athletic Training month to hit in March, secondary school athletic trainers from around the country are helping KSI and the NATA secondary schools committee get a better grasp on the extent of athletic training services that our profession provides. “The KSI team has been working diligently to market the ATLAS Project in various media outlets and get the word out there to secondary school ATs” said Sarah Attanasio assistant director of sports safety policies. “Thanks to the help of Rachael Oats and all of her colleagues at the NATA offices, the ATLAS project was sent out via e-blast in the NATA Range of Motion and has been posted on the NATA website The ATLAS Project ” said Huggins, VP of Research at KSI. One week earlier, secondary school chair Larry Cooper allocated some time during the NATA board of directors meeting in Dallas, Texas for KSI to speak with the members of the Secondary School Committee. Each district representative was provided with content related to the project for distribution to their members and for easy website viewing. As a sign of their excitement and eagerness to start, some regional athletic training associations such as The Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association and state associations such as Michigan Athletic Trainers Society and Louisiana Athletic Trainers Association are linking directly to the ATLAS Project and it appears to be making rapid progress.

“The momentum of the ATLAS project has really shown a positive trend after the official national launch of the ATLAS Project in January,” said Huggins, “we have seen an exponential increase in the number of ATLAS surveys taken. At one point we were averaging almost 100 surveys per day. In the last week or so it has leveled off to 40 per day which is still fantastic.” In response to the increased demand, KSI has brought on five additional workers per week bringing the total workers to 10 (8 undergraduate, 1 graduate and 1 post doctoral fellow). “We all to help sort the data, work directly with secondary school committee chairs in each state, and make each map as accurate as possible” said Rachel Morris, KSI undergraduate research assistant.

The ATLAS Project is rapidly approaching 3,000 surveys and KSI hopes that their goal of 8,000 surveys by June will come to fruition. “As the word continues to spread within each state, our results will become more accurate and we will be able to not only quantify the extent of AT services, but gather valuable information about where ATs are hired, in what capacity they are hired, and the commonalities from state to state” said Huggins. With this project KSI hopes that AT associations will utilize the maps as a directory to improve the continuity of healthcare within their state, promote legislative efforts to hiring full-time athletic trainers, and potentially reduce medical and insurance costs. “The possibilities are endless” said Larry Cooper, NATA secondary school chair “and we are so excited about where this project will go in the future!”

Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Meeting 2016

Posted on January 12, 2016September 14, 2021 by Yuri Hosokawa

By William Adams, Director of Sport Safety Policies

This past weekend KSI traveled to Boston, MA for the Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Meeting. KSI had the great opportunity to present during a 2-hour symposium on the recent projects, initiatives, and accomplishments of KSI to the EATA membership. The presentation was very well received and we received a lot of positive feedback following the talk.

The talk titled, The Work of the Korey Stringer Institute-Assisting Athletic Trainers and the Profession, was presented by 8 of the staff from KSI. Doug Casa, began the symposium discussing the latest updates on policy changes at the high school level and how policy changes can save athletes lives. Rebecca Stearns followed discussing heat tolerance testing and how KSI has been active in this service area in helping return Exertional Heat Stroke Victims back to full activity. Yuri Hosokawa discussed how KSI utilizes Social Media to share our current initiatives and latest sports medicine related news to our followers.

Lesley Vandermark, Alicia Pike, and Samm Scarneo presented KSI’s work related to investigating the extent of AT services at the high school level. Vandermark presented the results from the Benchmark Study published in Early 2015 by former KSI staff Riana Pryor that showed the extent of AT coverage in public high schools across the United States. Pike followed up with the recent data collected looking at the extent of AT coverage at the Private School setting across the country. Scarneo closed out this topic discussing the ATLAS project, which KSI is partnered with the NATA in helping map the AT services across the United States using an interactive geographical map.

Rob Huggins presented the available data we have on the insurance initiative that we are working on for the NFL. This project is focused on investigating the potential cost savings from an insurance perspective for high schools employing a full time athletic trainer. Lastly, William Adams presented on the current work KSI is doing in the world of wearable technology from both an athlete monitoring perspective and current research being conducted examining the validity and efficacy of using wearable technology in measuring hydration status during exercise.

We are hoping to get the chance to present our current work at other district/regional AT meetings to keep other Athletic Trainers aware of what KSI is doing and how KSI is promoting the profession of Athletic Training from many different avenues.

2017 NATA Meeting Preview

Posted on January 2, 2016December 29, 2016 by clm16105

Rachel Katch, MS, ATC

Associate Director of Military and Occupational Safety

On June 26^th – 29^th, members of both the Korey Stringer Institute’s (KSI) staff and Medical & Science Advisory Board will be traveling to Houston, Texas to present at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) 68^th Clinical Symposia & AT Expo. Topics for dissemination range from the most up-to-date biomechanical research, to preventing sudden death in sport, all the way to new ground-breaking research regarding insurance costs for athletic trainers. No matter the topic, these presentations will provide those in attendance with evidence based research and information pertinent to enhancing the athletic training profession. Specific dates, times, and locations for each presentation being disseminated by the KSI staff and Medical & Science Advisory Board members are available below in Table 1. Hope to see you at the NATA Clinical Symposia, and always, please make sure to come and see us at our KSI booth at the AT Expo!

KSI Medical & Science Advisory Board Presentations

Lindsay DiStefano, PhD, ATC, from the University of Connecticut (UConn) will be disseminating multiple presentations during the course of the symposium. One presentation is titled, “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Strategies: Translation of Research Findings into Clinical Practice,” and focuses on introducing the most current ACL injury prevention research and the evidence behind it. Additionally, Dr. DiStefano has a feature presentation during the session, “Lower Limb Preventative Training Programs Best Practice,” titled, “Effectiveness of Lower Limb Preventive Training Programs at Reducing Injuries.” This presentation will focus on educating attendees about the effectiveness, best practices, and implementation of preventative training programs.

Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill will be presenting, “Catastrophic Traumatic Injuries in Sport,” during the session titled, “Catastrophic Sports Injury and Illnesses Among US College and High Schools.” This is a feature presentation alongside Douglas Casa, PhD, ATC, FNATA who will also be speaking during this session with a presentation titled, “Catastrophic Heat and Exertional-Related Conditions Among Athletes.” This session will focus on the incidence and characteristics of catastrophic events, and evidence-based policies and recommendations to minimize the risk of these events in the future.

From the University of South Florida, Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC will be presenting, “Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes,” as well as a learning lab titled, “Recognition and Treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke.” The purpose of the first evidence-based forum is to provide clinicians with the best evidence-based clinical practice regarding the prevention, recognition, treatment, and return to play for the most common exertional heat illnesses. Second, the learning lab will focus on providing clinicians with the knowledge and opportunity to practice rectal thermometry and cold water immersion in a safe learning environment.

Also from the UConn, Stephanie Mazerolle, PhD, ATC, FNATA in the session, “A Multi-Level Examination of Career Intentions and Work-Life Balance,” will be presenting, “Individual Elements that Influence the Development of Career Planning and Work-Life Balance.” This is a feature presentation that will examine and discuss research available regarding alternative therapies utilized in the clinical setting to promote work-life balance. Additionally, Brendon McDermott, PhD, ATC from the University of Arkansas will be presenting, “Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes.” This committee session will focus on providing clinicians with the best evidence-based clinical practice regarding the prevention, recognition, treatment, and return to play for the most common exertional heat illnesses.

Lastly, Kevin Miller, PhD, AT, ATC from Central Michigan University will be presenting, “New Advances in Exertional Heatstroke Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention.” This special topic presentation will discuss recent experimental studies that address the necessity of equipment removal prior to initiating cold-water immersion; whether cooling garments can prevent the onset of hyperthermia or affect hydration status; whether temperate water can be used to effectively cool hyperthermic humans; and how far into the rectum Athletic Trainers should insert a thermometer to obtain the most valid data.

KSI Staff Presentations

Multiple KSI staff will be presenting in a session titled, “Enhancing Safety of Secondary School Athletics Through Policy Change,” including Alicia Pike, MS, ATC, Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, and William Adams, PhD, ATC. Individually, their presentation titles are, “Examining Sport Safety Policies in Secondary Schools: An Analysis of States’ Progress Toward and Barriers to Policy Implementation,” “State High School Athletics Policy Change Successes and Barriers: Results from the Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Meeting,” and, “Current Status of Evidence-Based Best Practice Recommendations in Secondary School Athletics,” respectively. This feature presentation will provide participants with evidence describing the barriers associated with implementing policy change from a state administrative level and the steps that have been made to initiate change to protect secondary school student athletes.

Additionally in a session titled, “The Secondary School AT Value Model, Minimizing Cost and Maximizing Safety from an Insurance Perspective,” Yuri Hosokawa, MAT, ATC, and Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC, will be disseminating their respective presentations titled, “Optimizing the Direction of Care: A Secondary Insurance Claims Analysis,” and, “We Can’t Afford to Hire an AT…You Can’t Afford Not To! Reducing Risk, Saving Money, and Saving Lives.” In this committee session presented by the NATA Initiative, the speakers will: (1) discuss ways athletic training services may directly benefit multiple entities (insurance providers, policy holders, and school districts), (2) critically assess the secondary insurance cost to identify unnecessary medical costs, and (3) minimize the financial burden of secondary schools through injury prevention and appropriate risk management.

Lastly, Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC will present, “An Overview of the Secondary Schools ATLAS Project: Where Are We Now?” in the session, “Out of the Fire and Into the Frying Pan.” This committee session presented by the Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee will outline the use of the ATLAS project to show the concentration of secondary school athletic trainers and its value for potential networking within and between states and organizations.

Table 1. List of Presenters

Presenter	Presentation Title	Time / Location
	TUESDAY, JUNE 27^th, 2017
Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC	Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes	8:15 AM BCC, Room 370
Stephanie Mazerolle, PhD, ATC, FNATA	Individual Elements that Influence the Development of Career Planning and Work-Life Balance	8:15 AM BCC, General Assembly A
Brendon McDermott, PhD, ATC	Exertional Heat Illness in Younger Athletes	8:15 AM BCC, Room 370
Kevin Miller, PhD, AT, ATC	New Advances in Exertional Heatstroke Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention	10:45 AM BCC, Grand Ballroom C
Rebecca Lopez, PhD, ATC	Recognition and Treatment of Exertional Heat Stroke	1:30 PM BCC, Room 342
Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC	An Overview of the Secondary Schools ATLAS Project: Where Are We Now?	2:10 PM BCC, Grand Ballroom A
	WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28^th, 2017
Kevin Guskiewicz, PhD, ATC	Catastrophic Traumatic Injuries in Sport	7:00 AM BCC, General Assembly A
Douglas Casa, PhD, ATC, FNATA	Catastrophic Heat and Exertional-Related Conditions Among Athletes	7:30 AM BCC, General Assembly A
Lindsay DiStefano, PhD, ATC	Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Prevention Strategies: Translation of Research Findings into Clinical Practice	7:30 AM BCC, Room 370
	THURSDAY, JUNE 29^th, 2017
Lindsay DiStefano, PhD, ATC	Effectiveness of Lower Limb Preventive Training Programs at Reducing Injuries	10:45 AM BCC, General Assembly B
Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC	“We Can’t Afford to Hire an AT”… “You Can’t Afford Not To!” Reducing Risk, Saving Money, and Saving Lives	10:45 AM BCC, Grand Ballroom B
Yuri Hosokawa, MAT, ATC	Optimizing the Direction of Care: A Secondary Insurance Claims Analysis	11:15 AM BCC, Grand Ballroom B
William Adams, PhD, ATC	Current Status of Evidence-Based Best Practice Recommendations in Secondary School Athletics	3:30 PM BCC, General Assembly A
Robert Huggins, PhD, ATC	State High School Athletics Policy Change Successes and Barriers: Results from the Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Meeting	4:00 PM BCC, General Assembly A
Alicia Pike, MS, ATC	Examining Sport Safety Policies in Secondary Schools: An Analysis of States’ Progress Toward and Barriers to Policy Implementation	4:30 PM BCC, General Assembly A

NATA Clinical Sympoisa & AT Expo

Posted on June 29, 2015September 14, 2021 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Luke Belval, Director of Military and Occupational Safety

This past week KSI converged on St. Louis for the NATA Clinical Sympoisa & AT Expo. This annual meeting of athletic trainers is unique for KSI as our staff fulfills multiple roles over the course of several days. From rolling out new programs at the exhibit hall to presenting research, KSI has developed a foundational presence amongst athletic trainers and the convention center in St. Louis proved to be no exception.

With its first class reputation for research, KSI uses the NATA Clinical Symposia to disseminate its information to help inform the practices of athletic trainers. Director of Research, Lesley Vandermark, kicked off the week by presenting a course on “Best Practices for Preventing Sudden Death in Athletes”, which examined how appropriate screening could help save athletes lives. As a continuation of the landmark CATCH-ON study, Assistant Director of Youth Sport Safety, Alicia Pike, presented the results of a study that examined athletic training services in private secondary schools to compare to the public setting. Vice President of Operations and Education, Rebecca Stearns, presented “Medical Injuries and Illnesses at an Ironman Triathlon Competition” as a result of KSI’s relationship with the Lake Placid Ironman to help shed light on the needs of the ultra-endurance athlete. Yuri Hosokawa, Director of Education and Communication, presented some results of the 2014 Falmouth Road Race Study demonstrating the physiological responses of athletes in the heat. Finally, William Adams, Director of Sport Safety Policies, released the results of a case study of a runner returning back to a race where 1 year prior he suffered a heat stroke.

Meanwhile, KSI along with its corporate partners exhibited their products and services at the AT Expo. A perennial highlight for KSI and its partners, we were able to join together this year for our largest giveaway yet. Athletic trainers who attended all of the booths as a part of our passport program were entered for not only daily prizes but amazing grand prizes. Lucky winners brought home everything from autographed merchandise to Kestrel units to AEDs. If you missed out on this program this year, be sure to check out our booth next year for a chance to win awesome prizes.

Also at the KSI booth was the launching of the NATA and KSI’s Athletic Training Location and Services (ATLAS) project. Robert Huggins, Vice President of Research, presented some of the initial findings of the project to the Secondary School Committee of the NATA followed by the public launch at the AT Expo. Individuals who visited KSI’s booth were able to verify whether or not the services they provide secondary school settings were accurate. This is part of a large database that captures how athletic trainers provide services to secondary schools and identifies school districts that could better protect athletes. If you would like more information about this project, check out the ATLAS database and contribute your information if you are a secondary school athletic trainer.

The NATA annual meeting is arguably the busiest and most productive meeting of KSI’s calendar. As our relationship with NATA and our corporate partners continues to envelop our presence will only magnify and our reach will optimized. If you missed KSI at the meeting this year or would like more information on the Korey Stringer Institute be sure to check us out on Facebook, Twitter and explore our website.

NATA “Passport” Campaign

Posted on June 17, 2015June 15, 2015 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Rebecca Sterns, Vice President of Operations and Education

This year’s NATA Clinical Symposia & AT Expo represents the 5^th year that KSI will be an exhibitor. As we continue our presence at the exhibit hall we have worked with our other partners to create an encompassing experience for our supporters in order to package some of the best health & safety information and tools together.

Last year we started what we call the passport campaign, and continuing the program this year we have expanded it to include 5 of our corporate partners.

Through this program, attendees can pick up a “passport” at any of the participating sponsor’s exhibit booths. Each booth you visit you will obtain a stamp on your passport. After you collect all 6 stamps you are eligible for one of the 2 daily prizes and will be entered to win one of the six grand prize drawings at the end of the conference. Below is a list of the participating companies and prizes for this year. Come see us to get your passport there!

Booth #1028 Korey Stringer Institute

Booth #1033 Kestrel Heat Stress Trackers

Booth #1030 Mission AthleteCare

Booth #1026 One Beat CPR & AED

Booth #1607 Gatorade

Booth #1029 Jones & Bartlett Learning

Daily Prizes (Two prizes awarded each day)

MISSION Prize Pack

Sudden Death in Sport & Physical Activity Book by Douglas Casa

One Beat CPR + AED Prize Pack

Kestrel Drop D2 Environmental Data Logger

Gatorade Recover Kit

KSI Fan Pack

Grand Prizes (Selected from all entries)

Reggie Bush Signed Football

Visa Gift Card

Philips HeartStart OnSite AED with a Case and Fast Response Kit

Kestrel 4400 Heat Stress Meter

J.J. Watt Signed Houston Texans Jersey

Serena Williams Signed Tennis Ball

Medical and Science Advisory Board Meeting

Posted on June 1, 2015April 22, 2016 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Lesley Vandermark, Director of Research

On the heels of our uber-successful board meeting and fundraiser gala in early May, KSI held our annual Medical and Science Advisory Board meeting on May 26^th, in conjunction with the 62nd annual American College of Sports Medicine Symposium in sunny San Diego, CA. KSI staff members and the MSAB members had the opportunity to discuss progress with on-going initiatives like the Mission Heat Safety Pledge, and discuss future initiatives and directions over a nice dinner. This meeting was an important opportunity for our MSAB to meet and talk about potential collaborations with our new Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. John Jardine.

We also updated the MSAB on our on-going and upcoming research projects. KSI will be going to the Falmouth Road Race to provide medical coverage and perform research on thermoregulation and heat illness with the race participants. Additionally over the next 6 months KSI will be doing research in a field that continues to gain importance in athletics, wearable technology. We also discussed our upcoming travel plans and public appearances. Don’t miss a chance to meet the staff and board members, and pickup information, at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association 66th Clinical Symposium in St. Louis, MO at the end of June.

Several corporate and supply partners were also in attendance, showing continued support of our research and education initiatives. Additionally, one of our educational partners, Jones & Bartlett Learning attended to give an update on our progress with the online continuing education course on preventing sudden death in sport. The course should be available this summer, and is a great resource for athletic trainers in need of evidence-based practice (EBP) CEUs due in December.

Medical Experts Look Beyond Law to Make Youth Sports Safer (ABC News/AP)

Posted on March 31, 2015September 14, 2021 by Administrator

To toughen safety standards in youth sports, medical experts are turning away from lawmakers and toward high school sports associations to implement policies and procedures to prevent deaths and serious injuries.

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine completed two days of meetings and programs with representatives from all 50 state high school athletic associations Friday at the NFL offices in Manhattan. The goal was to have decision-makers return to their states and push high schools to put into place recommendations on how best to handle potentially catastrophic medical conditions such as heat stroke, sudden cardiac arrest and head and neck injuries.

Some states, such as Arkansas, have passed laws requiring schools to meet certain standards, but Doug Casa, director of athletic training education at the University of Connecticut, said high school associations should be first to act because they have more flexibility to move quickly.

“Trying to get a state law passed, one, can take a long time but two, sometimes a lot of things get attached to the laws that weren’t the original intention. Also, they’re written by people who don’t truly understand the nuances of a football practice or how sports work into the system of a school year. Those are nuances that the state high school association totally gets,” Casa said.

In 2013, best practice recommendations were published in the Journal of Athletic Training, but many states are still lagging in implementation of those guidelines. They include having a full-time athletic trainer on staff, having automated external defibrillators in every school and accessible to all staff members, and having an emergency action plan for managing serious and potentially life threatening injuries. Funding is often cited as the reason schools, many of which are already struggling to make ends, meet fail to implement these recommendations.

According to the NATA and AMSSM, only 37 percent of high schools in the United States have full-time athletic trainers. Only 22 percent of states meet the recommendation that every school or organization that sponsors athletics develop an emergency action plan. Only 50 percent of states have met recommendations that all athletic trainers, coaches, administrators, school nurses and other staffers have access to an automated external defibrillator.

Casa said just 14 states meet the minimum best practices with regard to heat acclimatization, but the ones that have adopted them since 2011 have had no athlete deaths from heat stroke.

Casa cited Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, North Carolina and New Jersey as states that have been leaders in implementing the recommendations.

Jason Cates, a member of the executive committee of the Arkansas Athletic Trainers’ Association who led reforms in Arkansas after a high school basketball player died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2008, said that while legislation can be help to move programs forward, it can also create problems with legal liability.

“At what point in time are we going to legislate ourselves out of sports?” he said. “I think in some states, in some instances (legislation) is the way to go, but my hope is people just get it.

Casa acknowledged legislation is often necessary to fund programs.

With legislation comes politics and give and take. Kevin Guskiewicz, professor and co-director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina, said that doesn’t come easy for medical professionals.

“It’s hard for people like us that are medical people to compromise on anything because we think we should have it all,” he said. “So that’s where we’re beating our fists on the table at state capital buildings as we’re debating why we need it all. I did learn a lot about compromise.”

Source: ABC News/AP

Inaugural Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport Meeting

Posted on March 30, 2015September 14, 2021 by Yuri Hosokawa

By Alicia Pike, Assistant Director of Youth Sport Safety

On March 26th and 27th, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) in conjunction with the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) and the National Football League (NFL) hosted the very first “Collaborative Solutions for Safety in Sport” meeting at the NFL Headquarters in New York, NY. This meeting was made possible by the lead sponsors, NATA and AMSSM. Corporate sponsorship was provided by MISSION Athletecare, Jones & Bartlett Learning, PRIVIT, and Camelback, and supported by KSI and NFL organizations.

We know from years of research that many of the deaths that occur in sport are preventable if best practices for prevention and management are in place. Therefore, the goal of this meeting was to bring together the state high school association leaders and sports medicine advisory committee members and the National Federation of State High School Associations to discuss development and implementation of best practice policies for safety in sport. We are excited to have had representation from all 50 states in one room for this meeting, and provided opportunities for key decision-makers to review and enhance safety policies currently in place in their respective states to reduce risk of sudden death in high school sports.

Chris Valletta, co-founder of MISSION Athletecare kicked off the meeting with the keynote. The remainder of this first day involved emphasis on best practices and policy implementation for heat-related illness and cardiac events. Dr. Douglas Casa, Chief Operating Officer of KSI, spoke about the importance of policies including heat acclimatization and wet-bulb globe temperature monitoring that should be in place at every high school, as well as proper recognition (via a rectal thermometer) and treatment (ice water immersion bath) of heat-related illnesses. Regarding cardiac events, Dr. Jonathan Drezner, team physician for the University of Washington and Seattle Seahawks, spoke about the absolute necessity of having AED’s readily available at all high schools and competition/practice locations, as well as the importance of regularly practicing emergency action plans and performing monthly checks of AED batteries and pads to ensure they are ready to use in case of an emergency cardiac situation.

The second day began with a keynote address from Dr. Brian Hainline, Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA. Following his speech, Ron Courson, Athletic Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Georgia spoke about emergency action plans and when properly implemented, practiced, and executed, can ultimately save the life of an athlete. To close out the meeting, Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, Director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center in UNC Chapel Hill, spoke about head injuries, including concussions, and the policies that should be in place at every school to protect the health and safety of the student-athletes. Guskiewicz brought home the idea that “This is not an injury that can be managed by a clock, calendar, or cookbook.” Head injuries should be treated on an individual basis, and policies need to be implemented to ensure the athlete is not returning to sport before he/she is physically and cognitively ready.

The meeting was an absolute success for being the first time in history that the key people from each state were together in one room for the same initiative. Great questions, comments, success stories, as well as struggles were brought up from those in attendance. We each face challenges regarding policy development and implementation, but this could be achieved more quickly if we collaborate and work together. With this meeting, the NATA, AMSSM, KSI, and NFL hope to have instilled in the attendees the knowledge and materials the attendees need to return to their respective states and make change happen; change that will follow best practices, change that will ensure athletes are getting the absolute best medical care they deserve, and change that can save a life. “A 2 millimeter difference can make a mile change.” Are you prepared? Do more than care. Think. Act. Make a change. Save a life.

For more resources and information that were shared at the meeting, please visit: www.SolutionsForAthleteCare.org.