Concussion Task Force Holds Public Meeting Thursday in Rockland

Senator David Carlucci (D – Rockland/Westchester) and concussion experts from Rockland and Westchester counties will hold a public meeting of the Concussion Task Force this Thursday night at Rockland Community College.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, a time when neuroscience researchers and healthcare professionals come together to raise awareness on one of the least understood parts of the human body, the brain, and with it a multitude of diseases and other medical ailments that afflict millions of Americans every day.

Concussions are among the most common brain injuries a patient can sustain. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reported that emergency room visits for concussions in kids ages 8 to 13 years old has doubled, and concussions have risen 200 percent among teens ages 14 to 19 in the last decade. The Concussion Task Force will develop strategies to educate youth and parents on how to prevent concussions.

The Centers for Disease Control says an estimated 2.4 million children and adults in the U.S. sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and another 795,000 individuals sustain an acquired brain injury (ABI) from non-traumatic causes each year.

WHO:

Senator David Carlucci

Dr. Andrew Satran – East Ramapo School District Physician and Pediatrician

Dr. Andre Persaud - Medical Director for PM Pediatrics of Spring Valley

Samantha Jones - Head Athletic Trainer for Athletic Training Program at Dominican College

Sue Sherlock - Coordinator of Health Services at Clarkstown Central School District

Dr. Mark Herceg – Westchester Commissioner of Mental Health. Chair, Westchester County Concussion Task Force

Josephine Pucci - Member of USA Women’s Hockey Team and Harvard University Women’s Hockey Team

Dr. Angela Gagliardi - Lead Concussion Specialist at New York Sports Medicine Institute in White Plains

WHAT: Concussion Task Force Meeting

WHERE: Ellipse Lecture Hall, Technology Building, Rockland Community College. 145 College Road, Suffern, NY 10901

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.March 10