Home » First National Action Plan For Sports Safety Issued

From the Youth Sports Safety Alliance

First National Action Plan For Sports Safety Issued

 

The Youth Sports Safety Alliance, composed of more than 100 organizations (including MomsTEAM) committed to keeping young athletes safe , has launched the first-ever "National Action Plan for Sports Safety" (NAPSS) to ensure comprehensive action to protect America's student athletes.

Youth Sports Safety Alliance

The NAPSS was finalized on February 5, 2013 at the 4th annual Youth Sports Safety Summit in Washington, DC convened by the National Athletic Trainers' Association. It urges schools to adopt safety measures to protect student-athletes from injury or illness, which mainly occur in four major areas:

  • Cardiac Events;
  • Neurologic Injuries;
  • Environmental/Exertional Conditions; and
  • Dietary/Substance-Induced Conditions

The Plan requires that all schools:

Critical next step in sports safety

"Our prior Summits provided the foundation for this National Action Plan - the critical next step that will help keep young athletes on the field and off the sidelines with chronic, catastrophic or fatal conditions," said NATA President Jim Thornton, MA, ATC, CES. "These conditions can be largely prevented, managed and treated if the right protocols are in place, and properly trained medical personnel including athletic trainers are available to provide immediate care. Only 42 percent of U.S. secondary schools have access to athletic trainers."

Secondary School Student Athletes' Bill of Rights was also formally released and reinforces the important rights of young athletes when participating in a secondary school sports program. It outlines essential elements that should be recognized by the athletes themselves, along with their parents, school and sports officials and policymakers at all levels.

Attendees included select Alliance members as well as: health care professionals; parent advocate groups; education and school administration organizations; health care and sports associations; state and federal policymakers; athletic/activity associations; and sports governing bodies.

 


Source: National Athletic Trainers' Association

Posted February 6, 2013