Newswise — ANNAPOLIS, MD – (March 11, 2014) – HeadFirst Sports Injury and Concussion Care, a program of Maryland-based Righttime Medical Care, is providing an educational grant to support a continuing medical education program for certified athletic trainers that has been developed by The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute at LifeBridge Health (BSI) in Baltimore.

The brainchild of Dennis Rivenburgh, MS, ATC, PA-C, of the Comprehensive Sports Concussion Program at the BSI, the workshops provide continuing healthcare education to the professionals who care for Baltimore-area high school and college student–athletes and professional athletes during practices and games.

HeadFirst’s sponsorship will allow LifeBridge Health to provide expert instructors to teach a variety of health and safety topics free of charge to local trainers, who will earn two continuing education units (CEUs) from the Board of Certification (BOC) for each seminar that they attend. The series has already covered the topics of evaluation of concussion and post-concussion syndrome, vestibular/balance concerns, and the connection between sports-related concussion and neck injuries.

“This program is providing education on timely, pertinent subjects that will increase trainer's knowledge base and enable them to better manage athletes’ safety and effectiveness,” says Rivenburgh. “Among upcoming topics are nutritional disorders in the athlete, orthopedic radiology, and sickle cell trait in exertional-related death.”

“In keeping with HeadFirst’s commitment to community outreach and education about concussion care, we are pleased to sponsor LifeBridge Health’s athletic training workshops,” says Dr. Robert G. Graw, Jr., M.D., chief executive officer of Righttime Medical Care. “LifeBridge is dedicated to ensuring Maryland’s certified athletic trainers are learning the most advanced techniques to provide expert care to athletes.”

The monthly sessions will be offered through May 2014 at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore at 5051 Greenspring Avenue. For information, contact Tzipora Sofare at 410-601-1920 or [email protected].

HeadFirst Sports Injury and Concussion Care was founded by Dr. Robert G. Graw, Jr., M.D., chief executive officer of Righttime Medical Care, to provide post-injury medical evaluations for patients of all ages.HeadFirstconsists of a medical team trained in the evaluation and management of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), working with a consortium of local specialists. HeadFirst has been providing complementary ImPACT baseline testing for sports teams and individuals since opening in 2011, and supports trainers and coaches with a community concussion awareness program. Righttime Medical Care operates ten urgent care centers located in Anne Arundel, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery counties. All Righttime locations are open 365 days a year from 7 a.m. until midnight. For more information, visit myHeadFirst.com and myRighttime.com.

LifeBridge Health is one of the largest, most comprehensive providers of health services in northwest Baltimore. LifeBridge Health includes Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, Courtland Gardens Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and related subsidiaries and affiliates. For more information, visit www.lifebridgehealth.org.

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