Coaches would be required to remove from play student-athletes who show signs of concussions under legislation expected to receive final approval this month in the General Assembly.
Gov. Tom Corbett said on Wednesday that he generally supports The Safety in Youth Sports Act, which would require that a medical doctor, a medical professional designated by a physician or a neuropsychologist approve an athlete's return to play.
″I have to look at the final bill,″ Corbett said.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, the state's governing body for an estimated 350,000 high school and middle school athletes, recommends that a licensed physician give the go-ahead to return, but there is no state law mandating such care.
Under the bill, the state Health and Education departments would develop guidelines to limit when injured students would be allowed to return to the playing field.
The legislation would require coaches to undergo training in recognizing concussions and to provide more information on brain injuries to student-athletes. Coaches who follow the law would be immune from civil liability.
The House yesterday unanimously approved the bill, which the Senate had passed in June. Because the House made changes, the bill goes back to the Senate.
″We are very optimistic the bill will go to the governor for his signature this month,″ said Erik Arneson, spokesman for Senate Republicans, who control the chamber.
″It's one of the most advanced laws on the books in this country,″ said Michael Collins, a clinical psychologist who heads UPMC's Sports Medicine Concussion Program. ″It's responsible. It's fair, and at the end of the day it will help a lot of kids in our state avoid a bad diagnosis or misdiagnosis. That's the one thing about concussion that we can and should prevent.″
Dr. Jack Wilberger, chairman of Allegheny General Hospital's neurosurgery department and director of its traumatic brain injury program, said parents ″certainly should feel better″ with this legislative action.
″It's a significant step forward -- better than what we had, which was nothing,″ he said. ″This mimics, to some extent, what has been done in pro sports.″
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been pushing states to pass laws such as this one, said Wilberger, who met with Goodell in August to discuss concussions at the youth level.
Between 80,000 and 90,000 students play sports through the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League, a subsidiary of the PIAA that comprises 140 member schools.
WPIAL Executive Director Tim O'Malley said he was worried that the law would require back-and-forth steps between primary care doctors and specialists for athletes and their parents.
″It is our hope that whatever takes place legislatively is not undue on the parents,″ O'Malley said.
Lisa Dindak of Whitehall said she supports the bill ″150 percent.″
Her son, Jake Dindak, 17, a senior receiver/safety at Baldwin High School, exhibited concussion symptoms after a seven-on-seven passing camp in June at Gateway High School in Monroeville. He was not wearing a helmet when the back of his head hit the turf.
Dindak attended a similar camp a week later in Pittsburgh's South Side and, wearing a helmet, twice hit his head -- once against the turf and later in a helmet-to-helmet hit. He was taken to Children's Hospital, where he was diagnosed with concussion symptoms and bleeding on the brain.
″It's scary,″ Lisa Dindak said. ″If they would have had the legislation in place to begin with, my son would have been checked out with the first hit.
″If there is even a slight chance (of a concussion), you need to go to the doctor and then get cleared.″
Doctors have not permitted Jake Dindak to play this season because he has not fully recovered.
″Before this happened, I couldn't imagine missing my senior year,″ he said. ″It's a nightmare come true.″
Melissa Mertz, assistant executive director of the PIAA, said she had not seen the revised bill, but believes it eliminates some of the personnel with whom the PIAA ″had real concerns.″
″We had some concerns of who they had listed as being able to clear the students to go back,″ Mertz said. ″We wanted to make sure they were licensed individuals who were releasing the kids back to play.″
The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians supports the legislation, said Dr. Kevin Wong, president-elect. The amendment ″pulls out certified athletic trainers and licensed physical therapists or chiropractors″ from clearing student-athletes without oversight from a physician, he said.
Wong also is pleased that coaches bear more responsibility.
″We still have some coaches who feel we are babying these kids,″ he said. ″If coaches have more responsibility by law, they must take this more seriously.″
Dr. Julian Bailes, chairman of the neurosurgery department at NorthShore University HealthSystem, an affiliate of the University of Chicago, said about 30 states have concussion laws.
″It's a very good policy to enact,″ said Bailes, the head medical adviser for Pop Warner football, the largest youth football organization in the country with more than 250,000 participants nationwide. ″It will raise awareness and increase education.
″As much publicity as concussion has received, there is still a large proportion of people who need guidance in terms of a structured way of how to deal with concussion.″
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