Donna and Dylan Mello testify before RI Senate |
Dismayed by the toll her son's injury had taken not just on him but on the whole family and the lack of education she encountered at every level, Donna Mello met with Rep. Raymond Gallison (D-RI) last fall in an effort to persuade him to call statewide attention to this issue. From those conversations, House Bill 7036 was born and is scheduled for a vote by the Health, Education, & Welfare Committee soon. The Senate Education Committee heard Donna and Dylan’s testimony on a similar bill sponsored by Rep. Walter Felag (D-RI) recently, no date for a vote has yet been scheduled. Similar to the Lystedt Law passed in May 2009 in WA State, the RI bill calls for athletes to obtain written medical authorization before returning to practice or play after a concussion, and requires individual school districts to work with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) to develop concussion management guidelines for educating coaches, parents, and athletes. Unique to the RI legislation under consideration is the requirement for an athlete’s parents to provide written return-to-play permission as well. Connecticut introduces concussion billConnecticut differs from most states currently considering concussion legislation in that they are giving the State Board of Education the authority to revoke a coach’s permit if they violate the law. It is one of the only states contemplating penalties. The CT bill calls for coaches’ concussion training to begin before Fall 2010, with a mandatory refresher course required every 5 years. Additionally, coaches will be required to remove an athlete from play if they exhibit signs or symptoms of concussion, and may not allow that player to return to a game or practice for at least 24 hours. Athletes must also obtain a written medical return-to-play authorization post-injury, which currently seems to be the norm in most legislation. John Heck, a certified athletic trainer from Connecticut College welcomes the legislators' efforts. "It is crucial that we protect the brains of our children so that they may enjoy a happy and fulfilling life after athletics. I feel that the language in SB 456 is the best I've seen from any state and should be a template for other states going forward...I am especially elated that athletic trainers are recognized as such, by name, in this bill. Athletic trainers are on the front lines in combating concussions, and are often the most experienced practitioner in regards to sports-related head injuries. It is imperative that they are able to make the clinical decisions for which they are trained, and this bill accomplishes that." (Photo: Louis Walker) |
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