Bolinsky Works to Inform Parents & Kids on Concussions

HARTFORD- With the growing link between concussions and serious brain injuries, State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106, Newtown) supported legislation in the Appropriations committee to expand concussion awareness to youth and parents involved in youth sports associations.

The bill, HB 6722-An Act Concerning Concussions in Youth Athletics, which Rep. Bolinsky co-sponsored, aims to reduce the number of concussions in youth sports in Connecticut by requiring coaches to make information regarding concussions available to every child participant and his or her parent or guardian whether it is a written or electronic statement.

“We must view any and every concussion as a type of brain injury. All youth athletes and their parents benefit by knowing how to recognize and treat a concussion,” said Rep. Bolinsky.

Pippa Bell Adler, a member of the Parents Concussion Coalition in written testimony on the bill said, “This bill will promote a comprehensive law regarding student athlete concussions outside of the school system, including recreational sports and private school athletes.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes in the brain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports emergency department visits for sports and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, increased by 60% among children and adolescents (from birth to 19 years old) over the past decade.

The CDC estimates that almost 4 million sports and recreation-related concussions are recognized every year, with many times more going unrecognized.