CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns and University Hospitals (UH) are set to host numerous local and national health institutions at FirstEnergy Stadium on Wednesday, May 4 to discuss how to make high school sports safer.
The Browns and UH will meet with the Korey Stringer Institute, National Athletic Trainers' Association, Ohio High School Athletic Association and Ohio Athletic Trainers' Association, sports medicine physicians, high school administrators, coaches, and others to discuss ways to make high school sports safer in Ohio.
According to University Hospitals, 90% of all sudden deaths in sports are caused by four conditions: sudden cardiac arrest, traumatic head injury, exertional heat stroke and exertional sickling. They believe that adopting evidence-based safety measures can significantly reduce risks that cause those conditions and ultimately save lives.
“The Cleveland Browns and I are very excited to be part of a meeting that can impact every student athlete, in every sport, in every high school in the state of Ohio. To create the most up to date recommendations to our state legislators, this meeting will bring together stakeholders invested in the health and safety of our student athletes, from school administrators to first responders and physicians to athletic trainers,” said Rob Flannery, MD, Assistant Cleveland Browns Team Physician and Director of High School and Community Outreach and Education for University Hospitals. “The hope is that those recommendations will make mandatory all of the best practices in the area of student athlete health and safety. Through the Team Up For Sports Safety initiative we can make a better and safer sports environment for all of our athletes and if that saves just one life, then it makes this all worthwhile.”
According to the Korey Stringer Institute, states that mandate an average of 53.8% of policies proven to reduce deaths caused by the conditions outlined above by UH. Ohio currently mandates only 47.9% of the best practice policies.
The Browns, UH and others who will attend the meeting will look for ways to bring Ohio's percentage up and above national average.
Editor's note: the video above is from an unrelated spotlight on a doctor from UH posted on March 21, 2022
