Please see the attached excerpt from the Michigan Public Health Code covering concussion management in athletic activities. These requirements are in force for and the following procedure shall be followed for this and all subsequent seasons while the Code is in effect.
Your Association must, annually, provide the educational materials to the participants of you programs, and, to the parents and/or guardians of those participants. You must obtain a written statement from those participants and their parents/guardians that they have received these educational materials. This must be done PRIOR to their first taking the ice. We suggest that it be done in conjunction with your registration process by either passing out hard copies of the education materials, or, providing them with the website address to the education materials. The MAHA Concussion Management Program is adopted from the USA Hockey Concussion Management Program and can be found on our website http://www.maha.org under the Forms & Info tab, under Reference Desk Information, titled Concussion Management Program. It is also attached for your convenience. (Other concussion related materials can also be found there) This four page document defines concussion, explains how a concussion can be diagnosed, the management protocol, and, the USA Hockey return to play protocol.
Further, your organization is required to maintain this written statement, in a permanent file, until the participant attains 18 years of age. We recommend that your organization file these statements by birth year annually and, as a matter of safety, only dispose of them after the participants would be 19 years old.
You will need a written statement from the coaches within your organization that they have not only read the educational materials, but that they will comply with the protocol, by first advising your organization of any incident of concussion or suspected concussion. This initiates another record keeping requirement where you must retain written clearance from a health professional authorizing the youth athlete's return to physical participation in the athletic activity. This written clearance must also be retained in a permanent file until the participant attains 18 years of age. Again, we recommend that your organization file these statements by birth year annually and, as a matter of safety, only dispose of them after the participants would be 19 years old.
While there is no record keeping requirement for the coach’s written statement in the Code, we recommend that you retain these statements annually in a permanent file.
These activities would normally be the primary responsibility of your organizations Safe Sport Administrator and overseen by both your organization President and/or Board of Directors and the MAHA District Safe Sport Administrator.
We will be discussing this and the whole of the Safe Sport Program at the upcoming MAHA Summer Meeting. If you will be unable to attend, or wish to discuss via email, please contact me as shown below.
Sincerely,
Richard Frescura
MAHA Vice President of Apeals,
Vice President of Abuse, and,
Safe Sport Administrator