The Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada (CLFC) is receiving $25,0000 from the Province to prevent and manage the treatment of brain injuries in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.
MPP Bill Walker says, “Concussion rates in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound are significantly higher than in other areas of the province and this funding will be extremely beneficial.”
A media release from Walker’s office says emergency room visits due to concussions in Grey Bruce are twice as high as the rate in Ontario and are the second highest in the province, with the largest number of emergency room visits by people under 20 years old.
In partnership with the Brain Injury Resource Centre Grey Bruce, the Concussion Legacy Foundation aims to develop treatment protocols and prevention strategies associated with mild traumatic brain injuries, like concussions.
MPP Bill Walker made the funding announcement on Rowan’s Law Day (September 30) after visiting the Brain Injury Resource Centre on behalf of Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries.
Walker says the local investment will be used to launch a social media campaign to increase awareness about concussion safety, host local virtual medical symposiums on how to prevent and treat brain injuries, empower local leadership, and strengthen community engagement.
MacLeod says in a statement, “This targeted investment will support the prevention and management of concussions while helping people in the community identify the signs and symptoms of a concussion. Knowing what to do if someone has a concussion saves lives.”
Starting on January 1st, 2021, Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), 2018, will require amateur sport organizations to establish removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocols to ensure that an athlete is immediately removed from sport if they have sustained a concussion or are suspected of having sustained a concussion, The law will also ensure that they get medical clearance from a physician or nurse practitioner before they are permitted to return to training, practice or competition.
Rowan’s Law was passed with unanimous support in the Ontario Legislature in March 2018 in honour of the memory of Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old Ottawa rugby player who died in the spring of 2013 from a condition known as second impact syndrome (catastrophic swelling of the brain).