Press Releases

SEATTLE – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (D-WA) today discussed the importance of brain injury awareness at a roundtable with local athletes, coaches, doctors and researchers.

“As a former high school football referee and athlete, I know sports are important to keeping our communities fit and healthy, but we must ensure we’re taking every possible safety precaution to protect students and athletes,” DelBene said. “We can and should start to address the troubling increase in sports injuries, like concussions, by working together through research and community education so the latest advances in technology and equipment are used.”

Thursday’s roundtable discussion was held at a local business, VICIS, which recently unveiled a new football helmet designed to reduce impact forces. A number of NFL and NCAA teams plan to evaluate the high-tech helmet in advance of the 2016-17 season.

March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month. Each year, more than 3.5 million U.S. children and adults sustain a brain injury.

“Promoting head safety in youth sports is an extremely important and very complicated issue, one requiring a multifaceted approach that includes rules changes, cultural shifts, development of new technologies, and improved diagnosis and treatment,” stated Dr. Sam Browd, Co-Founder of VICIS and Medial Director of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Sports Concussion Program.

DelBene supports legislative efforts, such as the SAFE PLAY Act (H.R. 829) to train educators and coaches in concussion response to keep student athletes safe and the Concussion Awareness and Education Act (H.R. 1271) to create a national system to accurately determine the incidence of sports-related concussions among youth.

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