10 Years of Taking Care of Youth Athletes

Having recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Countywide Concussion Care’s inception, I am exceptionally proud. When I set out to turn my head injuries into something positive, I never would have imagined that ten years later my project would still be protecting the youth athletes of South Florida with continued support from the Miami Dolphins Foundation and the University of Miami. I still remember making house calls and running a raffle at Ransom Everglades School to get things off the ground, and a decade later Countywide Concussion Care is a staple of youth athletics in my hometown.

U Health will be doing further statistical research on the data compiled from this partnership for papers and publications.

On the other hand, as I reflect, I cannot help but feel bittersweet at the fact that there is still so much work to be done to protect youth athletes from concussions. As much as awareness has improved, many athletic and educational institutions continue to put undue pressure on young people to continue with their normal routines after suffering head injuries, and some deny continue to deny the seriousness of mild traumatic brain injury all together. In other places, the awareness of the issue and the intention to mitigate concussions are where they should be, but there remains a notable lack of organization and coordination in the efforts to create a solution.

This gap is where Countywide Concussion Care comes in – we are proof of concept that cooperation amongst school boards, youth athletics, professional sports teams and specialized medical practitioners systematically keeps kids safer.  We have the expertise to guide advocates across the country to create support systems that reliably put youth athletes in need of care in front of the best doctors to take care of their brains.

 My hope for the next ten years is that individuals and groups from other locations reach out to our group and replicate the program we have started in their own backyard. Concussion care is not just an idea – it can be effectively put into practice.

So, cheers to a decade of Countywide Concussion Care, and please reach out for advice on how to systematize concussion management, awareness, and education near you!

David Goldstein