Rep. Diana Urban to Present CT Concussion Prevention Efforts

From Connecticut General Assembly:

Children’s Committee House Chair Diana Urban (D-Stonington) will speak about legislative efforts to prevent childhood concussions at the Women in Government Foundation’s Healthcare Summit in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, November 17. The panel discussion, “The True Impact of Concussions,” will address the health risks associated with concussions and prevention efforts.

In 2014 the legislature passed a Children’s Committee bill aimed at reducing childhood concussions. The law directed the State Board of Education to develop a concussion education plan and requires that youth athletes and their parents receive information on concussions.

“Many people are not aware of the serious health risks associated with concussions. They think of this as an issue that only professional athletes have to worry about, when in reality untreated childhood concussions can have a lasting impact on cognitive development,” Rep. Urban said. “The Children’s Committee has taken this issue very seriously, and I’m proud to share the progress Connecticut has made in preventing childhood concussions. There is still more we can do, and I will continue to champion legislation to increase concussion education efforts.”

While most concussions are mild and will heal fully, children can develop complications if they return to sports and other activities before a concussion has healed. This makes diagnosing concussions especially important to avoiding longer-lasting or permanent cognitive issues that can result from repeated concussions, such as difficulty focusing and impaired short-term memory.

In the 2016 legislative session, the Children’s Committee raised legislation to strengthen childhood concussion prevention efforts, including requiring more frequent concussion training for youth athletic coaches and that organizers of youth athletic activities obtain parents’ signatures on a consent form addressing concussions.

Women In Government Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of women state legislators across the country which provides educational resources, expert forums, networking and leadership opportunities. The seventh annual Healthcare Summit will be held from November 16 to 19.

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