Dignity Health to Host Free Community Concussion Symposium to Educate Central Coast Athletes and Community Members

The program, a first-of-its-kind student athlete focused approach to concussion education and prevention, is now available to Central Coast high school athletic programs.

CENTRAL COAST, CA – April 3, 2018 – In response to the estimated 300,000 concussions that high school athletes sustain nationally every year, Dignity Health Central Coast, including Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH), French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC), and Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC), have partnered with Dignity Health’s Barrow Neurological Institute and the Dignity Health Foundation to locally launch the Dignity Health Concussion Network. 

To educate athletes and community members about concussions, Dignity Health Central Coast is hosting a free Community Concussion Symposium on Saturday, April 21, 2018 from 1:30 to 3:30p.m. in the Arroyo Grande High School multi-purpose room at 495 Valley Road, Arroyo Grande.  Join us for an afternoon of education and information about prevention, identification, treatment, and recovery protocol. The informative event will include:

• Light snacks and refreshments, information and materials, educational booths, and demonstrations of the Barrow Brainbook
  
  
• Dignity Health Central Coast Concussion Network introduction and information by Willard Chung, MD, Clinical Chairman, Dignity Health Central Coast Concussion Network
  
  
• Featured guest speaker Chris Nowinski, PhD, cofounder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and author of Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, will discuss what you need to know about concussions

“We know that a significant number of student athletes in high contact sports suffer a concussion each year, says Willard Chung, M.D., Clinical Chairman for the Dignity Health Central Coast Concussion Network. “Dignity Health Central Coast is pleased to be partnering with local athletic trainers, coaches, and high school student athletes to establish baseline measurements and educate on the symptoms of a concussion so that they can seek necessary and critical medical attention when needed.”

The program, a first-of-its-kind student athlete focused approach to concussion education and prevention, is now available to Central Coast high school athletic programs. Currently, six Central Coast high schools – Arroyo Grande High School, Mission College Prep High School, Santa Maria High School, Orcutt Academy High School, Pioneer Valley High School, and St. Joseph High School – participate in Dignity Health Concussion Network’s comprehensive concussion education, cognitive assessments, and pre-and-post concussion testing, but all are welcome to attend the symposium. 

While almost half of high school concussions occur in football, concussions are prevalent in many other youth sports including: soccer, cheerleading, water polo, and hockey.  The program will continue its progress by expanding, as additional local high schools continue to join the network. 

For more information on the program, visit: www.dignityhealthfoundation.org.

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About Dignity Health Central Coast
Dignity Health Central Coast is comprised of five hospitals, all recognized for their quality of care, safety and service, primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically advanced imaging centers, outpatient services and comprehensive home health services. Hospitals in the Dignity Health Central Coast region include Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to provide additional funding to support new programs and services, as well as to advance the community’s access to health care.  For more information, visit: www.dignityhealth.org/centralcoast