Concussions & Sudden Cardiac Arrest Standards

SPECIAL NOTE: All participant information and the SCA video can be found on our website at ymcacolumbus.org/safe-athletes.

A Little Background.

HB 143:

HB 143 is legislation that requires that youth sports organizations, such as the YMCA, educate parents, youth coaches, and officials about concussion symptoms, and that a young athlete who shows such symptoms be immediately removed from a game. The child cannot return to play until they have been cleared by a physician. Ohio is now the 32nd state to enact concussion laws, and it is modeled after a program already in place by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. 

Lindsay's Law: (For Sudden Cardiac Arrest or "SCA")

Lindsay’s Law, Ohio Revised Code 3313.5310, 3707.58 and 3707.59 went into effect in 2017.

In accordance with this law, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and other stakeholders jointly developed guidelines and other relevant materials to inform and educate students and youth athletes participating in or desiring to participate in an athletic activity, their parents, and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.

All Concussion and SCA paperwork, videos, and training is applicable to the following programs: All Youth Sport Leagues, Swim Teams, and Gymnastic Teams

Concussion and SCA training is required for staff and volunteers in the following areas: 

Youth Sport Leagues- Directors, support staff, coaches, officials 

Swim Team- Directors, support staff, coaches, officials

Gymnastic Teams- Directors, support staff, coaches, officials

It is SUGGESTED to also add:

Day Camp- Directors and counselors

Buildng Supervisors

Requirements For Participants and Families:

Concussions:

All participating families must receive an information form for each sport /activity. ODH has provided an FAQ for families that can be found at this following link: ODH FAQ's.  This  FAQ sheet can be used on your branch website or available at practices and games as well, if you choose.

        1. ODH Concussion Form. Click here.

    PARTICIPANTS MUST BE GIVEN THIS INFORMATION PRIOR TO PARTICIPATING IN THE YMCA ACTIVITY. 

 Sudden Cardiac Arrest:

        1. All participating families must receive the information sheet which can be found here.

        2. All athletes and guardians must sign and return to YMCA staff this form which will then be filed the Google Drive.

        3. All athlete families must watch this video.

We have placed all items for parents and guardians on the ymcacolumbus.org/safe-athletes page. It also should print on their registration receipt but please forward to families so that they have the info another way, as well.

For Coaches, Officials, Staff and Referees:

Concussions:

1. The YMCA requires that all of the coaches, officials, and referees that it recruits for its teams and events hold a pupil activity permit from the Ohio Department of Education, or have, in the last three years, completed the required online training course in recognizing the signs and symptoms of a concussion BEFORE authorizing a coach or referee to participate in your programs. Ask to see the pupil activity permit or a copy of the certificate of completion for the training. 

The online training we will be using for YMCA of Central Ohio staff and volunteers is through NFHS and is entitled "Concussions in Sports: What You Need to Know." The online training for coaches and referees can be found HERE. This course must be completed every three years.

If a coach or referee has taken the course through NFHS, you can perform a search by name to see when they took the course. You can perform a coach / referee search through the link HERE. 

2. Give all coaches, staff, and referees the ODH information sheet (return to play) for coaches and referees.  It can be found HERE. 

3. If your YMCA uses an “assignor” to obtain referees, obtain a written assurance from the assignor or the organization represented by the assignor that only referees that are properly trained will be assigned to your games. This can be accomplished by a simple contract or a letter with an acknowledgement that the organization or assignor can sign and return to you.

• Certified (basketball officials) may have already taken this on line training. 

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA):

1. Coaches must watch this video.

2. Coaches must receive this handout.

 What to do when a child suffers a head injury or is suspected of suffering such an injury?

1.  If a child is injured, YMCA staff should assure that the parent or guardian is notified of the injury and that, if it involves a head injury, the child cannot return to play until cleared to do so by an appropriate health professional. They cannot return to play the same day as the injury. The health professional is defined below:

     "The statute permits its decision to be made by a licensed physician or by another licensed health care professional as applicable to his or her authority to practice, working in consultation with, pursuant to a referral from, under the supervision of, or in collaboration with a physician. Nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and other physician extenders are obvious choices. The health professional may be a volunteer."

2. Your YMCA protocols for any injury to a child apply to possible concussion injuries. An incident/accident report should be completed by a YMCA staff at ymcaoc, with input from anyone witnessing the incident. All reports of possible concussions should submitted via incident report at ymcacolumbus.org/incidentreport

3.  The Youth Sports Director or other designated YMCA staff should contact the coaches for the team on which the child plays and indicate that the child cannot play until properly cleared.

• Youth Sports staff should enter into the notes field in Trinexum, and make it vac enabled, the date of the injury and that the child may not return to sports or register for another sports program until clearance from a physician is acquired. Please also note the date and the staff who put it in Trinexum.

• Please also complete the third tab of the "YMCA Concussions Standards Tracking" so that we can keep an association head count of these incidents.

• Once the family returns the clearance, the release should be filed. We will keep the note in Trinexum, but make it so that it no longer appears each time they attempt to scan in.

 4. When a child is cleared for play, the YMCA should keep a record of the date the Y was told, a copy of the written clearance and the name of the health care professional who cleared the child to participate.