Junior Brainbook

The CACTIS Foundation, in collaboration with Barrow Neurological Institute, is developing an age-appropriate e-learning module designed especially for six- to 14-year-olds as part of the Conquering Concussions initiative. The three-component program includes Junior Brainbook, which consists of an interactive website for education, treatment and evaluation of concussions; educational materials for parents, teachers, coaches and guardians and the guidelines regarding the management of a child suspected of suffering from a concussion; and live presentations by well-known professional athletes who have been affected by post-concussion complications. This is an extension of the highly successful Brainbook educational project currently in existence for Arizona high school students.

The Junior Brainbook project is being piloted with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale with anticipated subsequent roll-out to 22 organizations and 73 clubs comprising the Arizona Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs and with other teams and clubs nationwide.

"Expanding this innovative project to target younger athletes, those most vulnerable to complications from concussions, will hopefully reduce the number of preventable episodes and sequelae in the future," says Dr. Hirsch Handmaker, Chairman and CEO of the CACTIS Foundation. "The Conquering Concussions program aims to bring to light the consequences of repetitive head injury and Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) on a national and grassroots level."

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between one million and four million new brain injuries occur every year in America due to trauma in sports and recreational activities.

More than 767,000 American youth visit the emergency room because of traumatic brain injuries each year. Of those, more than 80,000 are hospitalized and more than 11,000 die.