 | Lacy Jo Graham has worked in health care for almost a decade, and is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Pittsburg State University. She has served in a ICU, Cardiac Step Down, Emergency Room, and Surgical Departments. Lacy Jo is currently the Patient Education Specialist for Via Christi Hospital Pittsburg, and implements patient education programs as well as providing comprehensive inpatient diabetes education.
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Health & Wellness
2012-11-19 11:12:06
ImPACT testing for high school athletes
Q- Via Christi received a grant to conduct ImPACT testing next year for high school athletes. What is an ImPACT test?
A- ImPACT testing allows medical professionals to ensure athletes have fully recovered from head injuries before heading back on the field. ImPACT stands for Immediate Post-concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. It is currently used by 6,000 high schools, 1,300 colleges and universities, as well as all of MLB, NHL, NFL and WWE. An initial test is administered through a computerized program taken by the high school students. The test involves puzzles and tasks to measure a variety of factors.
Q: What does the initial ImPACT test score mean and why is it important?
A: By establishing a baseline score, we have a beginning point to evaluate the recovery of an athlete if a concussion should occur. This helps physicians manage a concussion, and follow-up tests can also help with the decision of when it may be safe for an athlete to return to the playing field.
Q: How often do head injuries on a sports field occur?
A: There are more than one and a half million sports-related concussions every year in the United States We need to use the tools we have to make sure our children make a full recovery before they return to physical activities. If we don’t, they are at a higher risk for future injuries.
Q: How much does it cost a school to have its athletes tested for an ImPACT score?
A: Thanks to a grant from the Mount Carmel Foundation that purchased the ImPACT testing system, Via Christi Hospital is able to offer it to high school athletic programs free of charge. Additionally, we recently were one of four hospitals selected for a rural health grant by Multi-Plan Inc. This grant allows the hospital to not only continue ImPACT testing for students next year, but also increase the number of students we reach.
