School Policies

Very Gratifying Day

Dustin FinkLeave a comment

I have blogged multiple times about the concussions that I have dealt with in my job.  They are from the obvious to the “right place at the right time”, but finding them is the easy part.  In fact it is becoming much easier at the school I work with as more and more have “bought in” to the system.  Parents, teachers and kids themselves are letting me know about possible head injuries, it is not so taboo around here anymore.

One of my most recent episodes occurred with a pole vaulter, who refused to come to me only basically dragged in by his mother after seeing the blog and knowing what was going on.  His evaluation was straight forward and was definitely concussed, but after 15 days of adjusted scheduling (rest, away from school, graded return), fish oil and listening to our advice he was back to perfect.  In fact his post ImPACT was better than his baseline, but what was even more evident was his demeanor and general disposition, he looked like him again.  He is going to stay out of contact sports for another two weeks before beginning football activities.  A success!

However, this is not the point of my gratifying day.  Remember this day for me and the Continue reading →

Prince William County School District Setting Policy

Dustin Fink2 Comments

After working with the Trenum’s since late last year I have taken a special interest in how Michelle and Gil have been doing.  Although they will never be the same, what they have been doing in their area has been nothing short of remarkable.  It feels good to me that parents like the Trenum’s have taken the initiative to help out, and are doing it in a manner that is professional and proactive.  After we ran that story Michelle got back with me with some thoughts and more specific information/wording in the school districts policy.

Thank you so much for all your help on this.  You really helped give Gil the information he needed to get the policy through.  The administration will now be working on the regulations and details.  Gil will stay on top of them to make sure all aspects are covered.  It was interesting in all the information the board received, the athletic trainers were credited the most as being the go to on this subject.  They were given ultimate authority over return to play which is good.  Although none of what passed would have made a difference in Austin’s case, once the final medical pathology study is released, we feel that it will keep the momentum on this issue to make changes.

Michelle and Gil not only sought information from people like me, but much smarter individuals; MD’s, PhD’s and the ilk.  With all that information she was willing to share the specific language the board is set to pass; Continue reading →

Parents In Action

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Gil and Michelle Trenum of Prince William County, Virginia have taken what was the most horrible day in their life and are doing something about it.  After Michelle so genuinely shared her story about her son, Austin — here exclusively with The Concussion Blog — her and her husband refused to believe something could not be done about it.  The Trenum’s have put forth a tremendous effort in connecting with some very “stout” individuals in the concussion research and management area.  It was not to find out why this happened so much, as it has been an effort to not let this happen again, to any parent or any kid.

Joe Conroy of InsideNova.com reported on a recent school board meeting, where Gil Trenum is a board representative, at this meeting was Dr. Gereld Gioia, cheif of the Division of Pediatric Neurosugery at Children’s Medical Center in Washington D.C.;

“A lot of people are asking ‘Why now? What’s so special about these times?’” said Gioia, who was invited by Brentsville District School BoardrepresentativeGil Trenum. “We have a perfect storm coming together in the sense that we better understand the brain, we have the resources at our disposal now that we can be informed about this injury, concussions, which are really a type of mild traumatic brain injury.

“There aren’t more concussions than years ago, but we have more knowledge about them and their symptoms,” Gioia said.

In the article is the issue that I have been trying to make more and more of, removal from school and cognitive activities.  However, this time it is Dr. Gioia explaining Continue reading →