Northside Hospital-Cherokee is sponsoring the Cherokee County School District’s new ImPACT™ Concussion Management Program. Northside Hospital-Cherokee CEO Billy Hayes recently visited Cherokee High School to present Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo with a $5,000 donation to sponsor the program for the 2012-13 School Year. Some of Cherokee High’s Warriors football team members were in attendance for the presentation. From left to right, front row: Jacob Crawley, Tunde Ayinla, Northside Hospital-Cherokee CEO Billy Hayes, Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank Petruzielo, Cody Parker and Nick Ragsdale; and back row: Garrett Seckler, Talley Redmond, Isaac Grundy, Armony Parker and Willie Cyrus.
New for the 2012-13 School Year, Cherokee County School District high school athletic programs are offering baseline ImPACT™ concussion testing for all high school athletes with the goal of improving the diagnosis and management of concussions.
The program, sponsored by Northside Hospital-Cherokee, is used by the majority of NCAA and Professional sports teams and is expected to help doctors manage concussion cases. All high school athletes are eligible for the testing.
ImPACT™ stands for Immediate Post-concussive Assessment and Cognitive Testing. It is a 20-minute, noninvasive, “video-game-type” computer test, which measures an athlete’s reaction time, processing speed, short-term memory, concentration and other brain functions that are affected by concussions. It can be given at school in the computer lab or can easily be given at home. The baseline test is typically given before the season starts.
Since each athlete is unique, if an athlete suffers a concussion, medical personnel will have the baseline test of that athlete to compare with post-injury ImPACT™ test(s). In combination with a normal complete neurological examination, this comparison will help doctors know when the athlete’s brain is again functioning normally.
We wish all our CCSD student athletes a safe and successful season this year!