Organizations uniting to form coalition against concussions

NEW YORK (WABC) -- For the first time, youth sports organizations nationwide are uniting to form a coalition against concussions.

With representatives from a range of sports, the new National Sports Concussion Coalition aims to share information, and figure out what is working, and what is not.

With the recent focus on concussion from the National Football League, which recently settled a $765 Million injury lawsuit by former players, there is now public pressure to focus on young athletes.

"The impetus to look at head injuries more carefully has no doubt trickled down from the NFL," said Dr. Robert Gotlin, Director of Sports Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center.

Dr. Gotlin says he hopes pressure from the public, the media and the medical community will push the new coalition to come up with clear concussion guidelines, such as what can be done to prevent the injuries, what one can and cannot do, and what is the proper equipment to have. The most important guideline is when to allow kids back to play.

"With kids, it's the overzealous coaches, the moms, the dads looking for the scholarship to push those kids back too soon," Dr. Gotlin says, "we have to prevent that, and protect those kids."

Researchers have proof of long-term damage in the brains of deceased professional football players, a condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

As a parent of two athletes, Maria Hau-Vizcaino says she never stops worrying.

"My main concern was injury-wise - is she going to come out of this with any permanent damage?" says Hau-Vizcaino.

She also hopes the new coalition will come up with better solutions.

"I think it's good coming together, there might be things one organization finds that the other didn't," adds Hau-Vizcaino.

Eyewitness News is told the new coalition will meet at the end of this month to lay out a calendar and game plan for working together.

The hope is with continued pressure from the public and the media, they come up with solutions and new guidelines for concussion management.

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health news, dr. sapna parikh

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