December 20, 2011 – ThinkFirst Concussion Education Online is now immediately accessible to Canadians, thanks to the collaborative efforts of ThinkFirst Pensez d’Abord Canada and Safe Communities Canada, two not-for-profit organizations dedicated to injury prevention. Dr. Charles Tator, founder of ThinkFirst Canada and widely known for his strong public profile on brain injury and sport, celebrates this launch as an opportunity to provide comprehensive online concussion education, accessible across Canada.

Dr. Charles Tator notes, “The decisions made following an impact to the head are extremely important and too often we see young players being left in the game when they should be removed and assessed by a physician. Also, some players return to play before they have fully recovered from a concussion.”

Now, parents, teachers, coaches, trainers and youth athletes can learn more about concussion prevention by taking ThinkFirst Concussion Education Online. Course content is based on material reviewed by ThinkFirst Canada’s Concussion Education and Awareness Committee, a group which includes neurosurgeons, researchers, and leaders in sport-injury prevention. The course can be completed in less than an hour, from any location, with technical support available 24/7. Participants who pass the course test can download and print a Certificate of Completion.

Misunderstanding about the nature of concussion can result in unsafe choices for player health, and lead to more serious, long-term health consequences. A concussion is a brain injury and education is a key component to protecting young athletes’ health. This includes learning how to recognize a concussion as well as how to properly manage a safe and healthy return to play. This online initiative, in addition to ThinkFirst Canada’s concussion education resources, will help parents, coaches, trainers and teachers to gain the knowledge and confidence to make appropriate in-the-moment decisions and the understand the return to play protocol for concussion – every time, in every sport.

Both ThinkFirst Canada and Safe Communities Canada believe that Canadians want to learn more about preventing injury and that they will take the personal initiative to take concussion training if it is affordable and convenient. “Build it and they will come” is more than the catch phrase from an old baseball movie. It is the heartfelt belief of two organizations dedicated to injury prevention. Visit www.concussioneducation.ca for more details about this program.

ThinkFirst.ca before you play and return to play.