Sacramento Health Care Providers and Wells Fargo Announce Sacramento Valley Concussion Care Consortium
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Responding to the growing concern over the short and long-term effects
of sports-related concussions, Wells Fargo’s Student Insurance Division,
Kaiser Permanente, Mercy Neurological Institute, Sutter Health and UC
Davis Health System have joined forces to establish the Sacramento
Valley Concussion Care Consortium. The Consortium aims to improve
identification and management of sports-related concussions and provide
student-athletes with increased access to local medical professionals
trained in the evaluation and management of concussions.
Last year, Wells Fargo introduced the Play it Safe Program which works
with health care providers, schools and families to promote awareness
and education on concussion care management. Partnering with teams and
coaches, the program provides ImPACT baseline neurocognitive testing and
excess insurance coverage to protect the health and financial well-being
of young athletes and their families.
“As the reporting of sports-related concussions increases, preventing
and managing these injuries is critical to ensuring a safe return to
school and play for athletes,” said John Breckenridge, senior vice
president of Wells Fargo Student Insurance Services. “We’re excited to
be part of this first-of-its-kind concussion care consortium and to have
the partnership and expertise of these four high quality health
providers who have come together to serve Sacramento’s young athletes.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 1.6 and
3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur in the
United States each year. The CDC says that ten percent of all college
players and twenty percent of all high school players sustain
concussions in any given season, with high school athletes three-times
more likely to sustain a second concussion.
“Because a concussion is an internal injury that nobody can see, it is
easy to overlook the symptoms and perhaps even easier for coaches,
parents or youths to have unrealistic expectations of the injured
athlete,” said Dr. Catherine Broomand, director of Kaiser Permanente’s
Youth Sports Concussion Program. “But concussions are serious. Even
though many athletes who experience a concussion will recover within a
few weeks, the injury can take months or longer to completely heal. What
happens during that time is critical not only for the athlete’s health
but for his or her future.”
Currently, two Sacramento youth programs and two high schools are
participating in the Play it Safe program, including the Jesuit Junior
Marauders and Granite Bay programs as well as Del Oro and C.K. McClatchy
high schools. John F. Kennedy High School is the latest to adopt the
program.
“This partnership is a great example of what can be accomplished when
caring adults focus on improving the lives of children,” said SCUSD
Superintendent Jonathan Raymond. “We are honored to be included in the
Play it Safe Program and Sacramento Valley Concussion Care Consortium
and we are excited to see the many benefits that will result for our
students.”
Representatives from Wells Fargo Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Mercy
Neurological Institute, Sutter Health, UC Davis Health System and the
Sacramento City Unified School District took part in today’s consortium
announcement held at John F. Kennedy High School.