UF’s College of Public Health & Health Professions, HealthStreet and Athlete Brain have teamed up to offer free baseline concussion tests to Gainesville children and teenagers.
The tests, funded by a grant from Health IMPACTS for Florida, will allow physicians to study concussion-like symptoms for children aged 9 to 18 years old.
The tests will run from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Feb. 2 at HealthStreet, 2401 SW Archer Road.
Aliyah Snyder, a UF graduate student and founder of Athlete Brain, said supervisors will administer Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 2 tests, which will assess a patient’s balance, coordination and memory on a grading scale. It will also check a patient for concussion symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea and headaches.
Once a test is complete, parents can take the results to their physician, Snyder said.
“If the child has a concussion in the future, that SCAT2 result can really help the doctor make a diagnostic decision about whether or not there is impairment,” she said.
Saturday’s event evolves from Concussion Awareness Day, which was held last year at HealthStreet’s Northeast Waldo Road location, said Noni Graham, HealthStreet project coordinator.
“That event was more so just to educate the community and to educate the kids on concussions,” she said.
Graham added that the Florida Legislature is currently discussing making concussion tests mandatory for public schools across the state, especially for high school student athletes.
