Keeping youth safe from concussion is a shared responsibility

Rowan Stringer was a gifted athlete who died as a result of multiple head injuries she sustained while playing rugby for her Ottawa high school team.

Five years after her death in May 2013, the Ontario government passed Rowan’s Law, legislation which is designed to protect amateur athletes and provide education about the dangers of head injuries. The initiative makes it mandatory for sports organizations to have a concussion code of conduct and protocols for removing injured athletes from play.

More than 280,000 students from across the province participate in high school sports programs. However, it is not only athletes who suffer from concussions. According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, concussions are common “both within and outside sport and recreational settings, and they remain a serious concern for children and youth.” To read more, click here.