Students Informed About Risks on the Field

At the mandatory sports physical meeting at Commack High School, students were given a presentation – by Drs. Hayley Queller and Michael Sileo of Orthopedic Associates of Long Island – regarding concussions on the field. 

Students in all sports in the district are required to receive a physical exam every year by their physician or the school's physician and must attend one of these meetings with a parent or guardian. 

The doctors told students that 63% of all concussions occur in football, and up to 20% of football players will sustain a concussion each season. They also advised that students, should they suffer a concussion during the season, take the recommended time away from their sport in order to heal completely, spokeswoman Brenda Lentsch said. 

This year's meeting also offered the option of a cardiac screening, based on the recommendation by the American Heart Association that all high school and middle school students have a screening – consisting of a questionnaire filled out during their yearly physical – prior to the season, according to the district. 

Additionally, Martin A. Moskowitz LCSW,  Program Director, from North Shore LIJ Health System's Mineola Community Treatment Center, offered information on drugs, alcohol and tobacco abuse and how these habits effect the student athlete.