(DALLAS, TX) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is pleased to recognize National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) as a National Youth Sports Strategy (NYSS) Champion. The NYSS, released in September 2019, called for a national strategy to increase youth sports participation. The NYSS is the first Federal roadmap with actionable strategies to increase participation in youth sports, increase awareness of the benefits of youth sports participation, monitor and evaluate youth sports participation, and recruit and engage volunteers in youth sports programming.
NYSS aims to unite U.S. youth sports culture around a shared vision: that one day all youth will have the opportunity, motivation, and access to play sports — regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex, ability, or ZIP code. NYSS Champions represent organizations that are working towards achieving this vision.
As a NYSS Champion, NATA has demonstrated their organization’s support of youth sports and commitment to the NYSS vision. NATA is recognized along with other NYSS Champions on health.gov as part of a growing network of organizations partnering with HHS to improve the youth sports landscape in America.
As a NYSS Champion, NATA will support the vision of the National Youth Sports Strategy in the following ways:
- Establish and enforce appropriate safety practices and protocols to reduce the risk of injury, and ensure that appropriate safety equipment is accessible and used correctly.
- Encourage sport sampling (playing more than one sport throughout the year) to mitigate overuse injuries.
- Develop partnerships across a variety of sectors, including business, community recreation, education, government, health care, media, public health, sports, and technology.
“We know children who obtain regular physical activity gain important physical and mental health benefits, which are more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains ADM Brett Giroir, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS. “I’m thrilled to acknowledge the work of the NYSS Champions who are furthering the mission of the NYSS and helping to foster a lifelong love of sports and physical activity for our Nation’s youth.”
“To be among some of the first organizations named a National Youth Sports Strategy Champion by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is an honor,” said NATA President Tory Lindley, MA, ATC. “It is outstanding to know that the athletic training profession and by extension athletic trainers are being recognized at the highest level as health care providers and for their critical role in the health and safety of youth athletes.”
Athletic trainers are health care professionals that prevent, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate injuries for active people in many industries, including sports, military and clinical practice.
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 immediate 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 45,000 members of the athletic training profession. For more information, visit www.nata.org.
The NYSS Champion is a service mark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Used with permission. Participation by National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA) does not imply endorsement by HHS/ODPHP.
About the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition (PCSFN) is a Federal Advisory Committee run by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and plays a vital role in keeping the Nation healthy. PCSFN and ODPHP accomplish this by setting national health goals and objectives and supporting programs, services, and education activities that improve the health of all Americans. PCSFN and ODPHP are part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To learn more about ODPHP visit health.gov.
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