Families Grateful for At-work Access to Youth Cardiac, Concussion Screenings
Cary, IL (PRWEB) November 22, 2013 -- Many employees of Sage Products LLC will take their kids to work Saturday, Nov. 23. It won’t be business as usual, however, when the families arrive in Cary. Sage employees have been invited to bring their children to free cardiac and concussion screenings through a special program offered by Centegra Health System, which is funded by a $100,000 donation from Sage. This gift makes screenings available to teens throughout McHenry County.
Sage employee Lisa Lindeman will bring her 14-year-old son, Grant, for concussion screening. He plays youth football in Palatine and does not have access to the screening through his local football organization.
“Six weeks ago my older son, Jake, suffered a concussion while playing in a high school football game,” Lindeman said. “He missed most of the season and he still experiences headaches from time to time. I want to be sure my younger son has the concussion screening so we have a baseline to compare it to in case he gets an injury.”
In August, Sage Products donated $100,000 to support Centegra’s Youth Screenings Program, which provides concussion and cardiac screenings to teens in greater McHenry County. The Sage donation supports Centegra’s effort to provide the screenings at a minimal cost so every teen in the area can receive the life-saving screenings.
Mike Nygren is another Sage employee whose son will receive a screening this weekend. All three of his sons received concussion screenings through their youth and high school football programs, however none of them have been screened for underlying conditions that can cause sudden cardiac death.
“I’m bringing my oldest son, Scott, in for cardiac screening,” Nygren said. “As a coach, I have known about sudden cardiac death in young athletes and I’ve even received training on how to use an emergency defibrillator. Until Sage and Centegra teamed up for this program, we have not had this kind of access to cardiac screening. That’s why we’re taking advantage of this now. With Sage’s gift, these screenings will be available to more young people in our community.”
Celine Pope, wellness manager with Centegra, said, “Sage Products asked us to provide these screenings to help employees understand the risks associated with concussions and cardiac issues. By supporting these screenings with a substantial gift, Sage shows its commitment to the wellbeing of our community’s children.”
The goal of Centegra’s concussion screening is to prevent second-impact syndrome, which is a repeated concussion that occurs before the brain has healed from the initial traumatic brain injury. Second impact syndrome can result in brain swelling, permanent brain damage or even death.
Centegra’s concussion baseline screening is a computerized test that determines a student’s cognitive function before a concussion occurs. If the student sustains a concussion, the physician can determine if the student’s brain has fully healed by comparing the post-concussion test to the original concussion screening.
Sudden cardiac death is the result of an unexpected failure of proper heart function without trauma, usually during or immediately after exercise. When sudden cardiac death occurs, the athlete quickly collapses, loses consciousness and ultimately dies unless normal heart rhythm is restored using an automated external defibrillator (AED). Centegra’s cardiac screening program is unique among other youth cardiac screening programs because clinical professionals perform the EKGs and echocardiograms. A physician is also on site to read all results immediately.
About Sage Products
Since 1971, Sage Products has developed innovative health care products trusted by leading health care facilities worldwide. The company has a core belief in prevention that simple, evidence-based, interventions lead to extraordinary outcomes. Sage is pioneering Interventional Patient Hygiene (IPH) with industry-leading brands including Q-Care™ Toothette® Oral Care, Sage® 2% Chlorhexidine Gluconate Cloths for Patient Preoperative Skin Preparation, Comfort Bath® Prepackaged Bathing, Comfort Shield® Barrier Cream Cloths, Prevalon® Pressure-Relieving Heel Protection, Prevalon® Turn and Position System, and Prevalon® Seated Positioning System.
The company's goal is to help improve patient safety and outcomes by preventing skin breakdown, health care-associated pneumonias, surgical site infections and other adverse events. For information visit http://www.sageproducts.com or call 1-800-323-2220.
About Centegra Health System
Centegra Health System is committed to meeting the health care needs of the residents of greater McHenry County and to making services available in multiple and convenient locations, including hospitals in McHenry and Woodstock, Immediate and Physician Care Centers, Centegra Sage Cancer Center, Health Bridge Fitness Centers and the highly anticipated Centegra Hospital-Huntley.
As the region’s leading health care provider, Centegra Health System continues to bring the latest treatments and technology, along with the skills of nearly 4,000 medical professionals, to meet the needs of the growing McHenry County community. For more information on Centegra Health System visit centegra.org, search Centegra Health System on Facebook and Twitter or call 877-CENTEGRA (877-236-8347).
Kim Kubiak, Centegra Health System, http://www.centegra.org, +1 (815) 355-7039, [email protected]
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