Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a significant issue that can have a wide range of cognitive, physical, and psychological consequences. Additionally, the impacts of TBI go beyond the individual; there are also substantial community, societal and economic burdens, increased emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. In 2019, the Georgia Brain and Spinal Injury Registry recorded 29,924 TBI injuries including 21,026 emergency and 8,081 hospital admissions [i]. According to the Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission, TBIs cost Georgians over $1.5 billion annually in lost wages and medical costs. Additionally, injuries occurred most frequently among Georgian’s birth to age 39 with the largest group being those aged 10-19. This population made up nearly 24% of all registered traumatic brain and or spinal cord injuries that year [i]. 

  • Traumatic Brain Injury Initiatives through GA Core SIPP:

    • Return To Play — CDC Heads Up Campaign

      • Keeping children and teens healthy and safe is always a top priority. Whether you are a parent, youth sports coach, school coach, school professional, or health care provider, this site will help you recognize, respond to, and minimize the risk of concussion or other serious brain injury [ii].

      • Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity. So, all coaches, parents, and athletes need to learn concussion signs and symptoms and what to do if a concussion occurs.

      • Fast Facts:

        • A concussion is a brain injury and all are serious.

        • Most concussions occur without loss of consciousness.

        • Recognition and proper response to concussions when they first occur can help prevent further injury or even death.

      • What is a Concussion?

        • A concussion is a type of TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that can change the way your brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Even a ‘ding’, ‘getting your bell rung,’ or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious [ii].

      • Georgia’s Return-To-Play law passed during the 2013 Legislative session and was signed by Governor Nathan Deal on April 23, 2013. The bill, aimed at protecting the state’s youth from concussion-related injuries, became effective January 1, 2014. Georgia joined 43 other states that passed similar legislation.

      • Components of Georgia’s Return-To-Play Law

        • Age: youth athletes 7 years of age to under 19 years of age

        • For: Boards of Education, Administrators of non-public schools, and governing bodies of charter schools.

          • 20-2-324.1(b) – adopt and implement a concussion management and return to play policy that contains:

            • Before each athletic season, provide to all youth athletes’ parents or legal guardian an information sheet that informs them about the nature and risk of concussion and head injury;

            • If a youth athlete, participating in a youth athletic activity, exhibits symptoms of having a concussion, that athlete will be removed from the activity and be evaluated by a health care provider; and

            • If the youth athlete is diagnosed with a concussion by the health care provider, the coach or other designated personnel will not allow the youth athlete to return to practice/play until the youth athlete receives clearance from a healthcare provider for a graduated or full return to play

          • For: Youth Sports Leagues/Associations/Organizations:

            • 20-2-324-1 (c) – At registration for a youth athletic activity, provide to all youth athletes’ parents or legal guardians an information sheet that informs them about the nature and risk of concussion and head injury. These organizations are also strongly encouraged to establish and implement a concussion management and return to play policy.

      • Recent Research

 

For questions or more information, please contact:

DeAndre Cain

CDC CORE Grant PI and Program Manager

Suicide Prevention Grant Co-PI

[email protected]

[i] Annual Report (2021). Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund Commission. Available at https://bsitf.georgia.gov/annual-reports

[ii] CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Heads Up. Retrieved from:  https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/index.html

Page last updated 12/22/2022