Alberta proclaims Sept. 24 concussion awareness day

The province of Alberta is declaring Sept. 24 as Concussion Awareness Day. The Injury Prevention Centre says 41 Albertans sustain a concussion every day.

The Alberta government is earmarking a day next week in support of concussion awareness.

Andrew Boitchenko, the minister of tourism and sport, announced Monday the province has started a partnership with the Sport Medicine Council of Alberta to recognize next Wednesday, Sept. 24, as Alberta Concussion Awareness Day.

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Boitchenko said the partnership will “enhance outreach and support for communities, athletes and sport leaders” as part of the government’s reaffirmation of the “commitment to promoting health and safety in sport and recreation across the province.”

In Alberta, a study by the Injury Prevention Centre found that falls are the leading cause, responsible for 35.8 per cent of concussions, followed by sports-related injuries at 22 per cent and motor vehicle accidents at nine per cent.

“It’s not only important for it to be recognized today but every day,” Tim Enger, the director of Football Alberta, said Monday at a media conference held at Edmonton’s Foote Field announcing the awareness day.

Enger said people in the sport he represents “need to pay particular attention to it” because “concussions are an invisible injury.”

“It’s something we’re not 100 per cent sure it’s there, so we have to err on the side of incredible caution,” said Enger, whose sport has been in the spotlight over the past couple of decades due to it seeing more concussion incidents than most other sports. “The more we bring it up, the more we focus on it, the better we’re going to be in terms of being able to identify, treat and reduce the incidents.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brandon Lynch