California Youth Football Program Implements Play It Safe Concussion Care Program
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The Jesuit Jr. Marauders football program of Sacramento, California has
taken steps to further protect its athletes by implementing the Play It
Safe Concussion CareSM program. Wells Fargo Insurance
Services and ImPACT Applications joined forces to develop this new
concussion management treatment that provides concussion medical expense
benefits to athletes who sustain a traumatic brain injury. The program
also offers education, neurocognitive testing, access to medical
professionals who are credentialed ImPACT (Immediate Post-concussion
Assessment and Cognitive Testing) consultants, and excess insurance
coverage to protect the financial well-being of athletes and their
families.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate more than
38 million youths ages 5 – 18 participate in organized youth sports in
the United States1. The CDC also cites concussions as one of
the most commonly reported injuries in children and adolescents who
participate in sports and recreation activities, with nearly half a
million emergency room visits made each year by youths treated for
traumatic brain injury2.
The short and long-term health impact of sports-related concussions is
the focus of increasing scrutiny, including recent medical and equipment
studies on players both at the professional and youth sports levels.
“The health and safety of our kids is at the core of our program,” said
Scott Brownholtz, president of Jesuit Junior Marauders. “When we learned
about the Play It Safe solution and the opportunities and benefits it
offered, it was an obvious fit for our program and values. Wells Fargo’s
involvement made it possible to offer this benefit to our families and
we are excited to be one of the first youth sports teams in California
to utilize this solution.”
Concussions can occur in any organized or unorganized sport or
recreational activity. However, the risk is greatest in athletic
environments where collisions are common, including football, hockey,
lacrosse, basketball, soccer, and cheerleading. Coaches and staff play
an important role in educating athletes and parents on sports related
concussions and offering solutions for safe return to play.
“With the Play it Safe Concussion Care solution, the Jesuit Jr.
Marauders can now administer a series of pre-season baseline tests to
their players and offer an insurance policy that includes access to a
concussion care specialist post injury,” said John Breckenridge, senior
vice president of Wells Fargo Insurance Services. “We are excited to
work with the Jesuit Jr. Marauders to help them provide players with
access to similar protections and protocols afforded to the NFL, NHL and
Major League Baseball.”
About Wells Fargo Insurance Services Student Insurance Division
Wells Fargo Insurance Services is the fifth largest insurance brokerage
in the world and the largest bank-owned insurance brokerage in the U.S.
(Business Insurance, 2009) with more than 200 offices in 37 states. Its
7,000 insurance professionals place more than $16 billion of risk
premiums with experience in property, casualty, benefits, international,
personal lines, and life products. Insurance products are offered
through non-bank insurance agency affiliates of Wells Fargo Company
and underwritten by unaffiliated insurance companies. Well Fargo
Insurance Services’ Student Insurance Division has over 20 years of
experience in designing student insurance solutions and program
administration.
Wells Fargo Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified,
community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets.
Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides
banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial
finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet
(wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels
across North America and internationally. With approximately 275,000
team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in America.
Wells Fargo Company was ranked No. 23 on Fortune’s 2011
rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to
satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed
financially.
About ImPACT
ImPACT is an independently validated and researched
concussion-evaluation system that, over its 15-year history, has become
the most widely used and scientifically accepted in the United States.
This comprehensive, computerized approach is the standard adopted across
the NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, the Indianapolis Racing League, the
U.S. Ski and Snowboard team, college and high-school athletics with
roughly 2 million people tested. ImPACT follows a traditional,
responsible, medically-based program involving clinics and hospitals as
well as certified athletic trainers, nurses, doctors and other medical
professionals trained in concussion evaluation and management — with
ImPACT providing a portion of that training and consultation. It is the
leader in neurocognitive testing, which an international panel of
sports-medicine experts recently called the “cornerstone” of proper
concussion management.
1 CDC 2007-2008 Activity Report
2 Traumatic Brain Injury in the U.S.: Emergency Department
Visits – Report by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services