National Action Plan for Sports Safety Launches

‘National Action Plan for Sports Safety’ Launches at 4th Annual Youth Sports Safety Summit

On February 5 and 6, 2013, AMSSM board member Verle Valentine, MD, represented AMSSM at the fourth annual Youth Sports Safety Summit in Washington, D.C. The two-day event was a continuation of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA)-founded Youth Sports Safety Alliance and its prior summits. The Alliance (of which AMSSM is a member), comprising more than 100 member organizations, is committed to preventing catastrophic injury and illness in youth athletes.

"It was amazing to see so many people from various backgrounds come together for a common cause,” said Valentine. “I think that the advocacy of this Alliance is really making a difference in the prevention of deaths and fatalities in youth sports, but there is certainly much more that this group can do over time.”

During the Summit, the group finalized the National Action Plan for Sports Safety, which calls for comprehensive action to protect young student-athletes. In addition, various speakers discussed injury trends, new research and liability issues in youth sports. The majority of the attendees went to Capitol Hill on the final day of the Summit to meet with members of congress to discuss safety issues in youth sports and advocate for the action plan.

For more information on the Alliance, please visit www.youthsportssafetyalliance.org.

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) is a multi-disciplinary organization of sports medicine physicians whose members are dedicated to education, research, advocacy and the care of athletes of all ages. Founded in 1991, the AMSSM is now comprised of more than 2,200 sports medicine physicians whose goal is to provide a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting. Visit www.amssm.org to learn more.