ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 15, 2016 – At the seventh Youth Sports Safety Summit today, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association presented its Youth Sports Safety Ambassador Award to three recipients demonstrating significant commitment to the health and welfare of secondary school student athletes.
This award recognizes an individual and/or entity that has made a significant contribution to advancing athlete safety based on one of two criteria:
- By providing exemplary youth sports safety protocols and care that set a precedent and/or model that others can follow.
- By advancing youth sports safety in one of the following areas: provision of appropriate medical care, research, policy change and/or resource allocation.
This year’s recipients include:
Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam's Memory) for its work with high schools to prevent sudden cardiac arrest through education and lifesaving programs and to assist schools in acquiring AEDs. With 11 affiliate programs around the country outside its headquarters at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, participating hospital systems appoint a medical director and coordinator team that shares expertise in the planning and implementation of CPR-AED programs to surrounding schools. Project ADAM schools are prepared for cardiac emergencies through staff CPR-AED training, school AED drills, student CPR education and sudden cardiac arrest awareness. Through the Texas affiliate alone, more than 23,000 school employees have been trained in the past five years, and as of April 2015, more than 100 lives have been saved as a result of these partnerships. Project ADAM is named for 17-year-old high school student Adam Lemel who collapsed and died after suffering sudden cardiac arrest during a basketball game. An AED and practiced response plan could have saved his life.
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09), for his significant leadership role in the U.S. Congress in advocating for student athlete safety and his dedication to educating others about the dangers of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Most notably, he is the co-sponsor of the Supporting Athletes, Families and Educators to Protect the Lives of Athletic Youth (SAFE PLAY) Act, introduced in Congress in February 2015. The comprehensive legislation addresses best practices and a multidisciplinary approach to research and federal support to ensure student athletes’ safety in schools. In addition, Rep. Pascrell is co-chairman and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, and, in 2010, the House of Representatives passed the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools (ConTACT) Act which he championed. The bill calls on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop guidelines and protocols for the management and treatment of sports-related concussions for the benefit of student athletes.
USA Football for its commitment to the safety of young athletes through its leadership, including an innovative, comprehensive approach to teaching and playing the sport, addressing how coaches are trained, athletes are taught, parents are informed and safety is handled. Third-party research and medical endorsements illustrate the effectiveness of USA Football’s Heads Up Football program in increasing rates of high school and youth player safety through education and standards rooted in the best available science. In addition, the organization’s medically-endorsed levels of contact for safer and smarter football practice sessions are employed within the
National Federation of State High School Associations’ practice guidelines. With an established tradition of working with leading medical associations and experts, USA Football’s direction in varying contact resistance as well as addressing heat acclimatization, hydration and length of practice increases player confidence and on-field safety while mitigating physical and mental exhaustion.
“NATA is pleased to recognize and honor these three recipients for their outstanding contributions and unyielding commitment to the safety of our young athletes,” said NATA President Scott Sailor, EdD, ATC, who presented the awards.
The Youth Sports Safety Summit was hosted by NATA and the Youth Sports Safety Alliance, comprising nearly 260 organizations committed to keeping young athletes safe. This year’s event, held in Alexandria, Virginia, addressed the theme of “Stay ahead of the game: preventing catastrophic injuries in youth sports.”
About NATA: National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association represents and supports 43,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit www.nata.org