National Winter Sports Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month

A new year means new services. In honor of National Winter Sports Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, we are officially opening our services to providers who aid those with brain injuries. Of course, this isn’t a topic that’s new for us; in fact, with each passing day the entire country is learning more about brain injuries, particularly Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). When pathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered the disease he immediately recognized the importance of naming this injury. The name needed to be reflective of the symptoms so the medical community would accept it and it needed an acronym that was easy for the general public to remember so they could learn about the disease. Today CTE is now a very widely discussed term and is quickly becoming a household topic due, in part, to the popularity of football and the film Concussion which covers Dr. Omalu’s discovery and the battle he has been drawn into with the NFL. In Chicago this topic has hit close to home as Dr. Omalu’s disease has been found not just in football but in other sports as well. Former Blackhawks defenseman, Steve Montador was found dead in his home in February making him the fifth NHL player to be diagnosed with CTE. His father, as a representative of Montador’s estate, “filed suit in Chicago federal court against the NHL alleging the league’s ‘insistence upon preserving and promoting violence’ in the game, including fighting among players on the ice, has contributed to cases of brain trauma, known scientifically as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), and premature death among current and former players.” In the midst of sports concussions gaining awareness, Chicago based Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, published an infographic laying out the highest concussion rates for the past three years in high school and college sports. Source: https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/ As we begin this new year offering more services to organizations, we will continue to discuss topics relevant to human service providers, consider different perspectives and approaches at prevention in the news today. CapGrow Partners will be here to help you serve the individuals you care for with the resources you need.    

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost