SBCC, Cottage Hospital team up to make student-athletes safer

SBCC, COTTAGE HOSPITAL COLLABORATING TO INCREASE SAFETY FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES DURING PRACTICE, COMPETITION

SANTA BARBARA -- Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Santa Barbara City College have joined efforts in a new program to keep SBCC student-athletes safer on the playing field and court during sports season.

The collaboration features the introduction of Triax Smart Impact Monitor (SIM) meters which athletes will wear during practice and competition for the SBCC men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball and football teams.  

SIM meters are miniature devices that slide into the back of a headband and measure head impacts and record the “hit count” incurred by athletes in these high-risk sports.

The data will support potential research projects which would allow for the study of how forces sustained during athletics may impact the brain. Led by Dr. Stephen Kaminski, Director of Trauma Services at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the research would compare telemetry data (linear and rotational g-force impact data) with imaging data as well as cognitive function. 

“SBCC is the first college in California to implement a “hit count” certified product for athletes and also offers one of the most rigorous concussion management protocols in the country,” said SBCC Athletic Director Ryan Byrne.

SIM meters record linear and rotational g-force of all impacts to the head, and automatically upload the data to a web-based platform.  Trainers, coaches and physicians receive “dashboards" of all data and real-time alerts when students experience hits beyond a set threshold. 

The concussion management plan will include information to student-athletes on head injuries and concussions, baseline testing, injury prevention efforts, and protocols on when athletes should be removed from and returned to the playing fields. The medical infrastructure includes a team physician and certified athletic trainer who work closely with the sports coaches and student athletes to ensure all protocols are carefully followed.

 “SBCC has a long-standing partnership with Cottage and we are pleased to add this important safety program for student athletes to our collaboration,” said SBCC President Lori Gaskin.  “We are grateful to Cottage for its support in ensuring that these student athletes receive the best possible preventive attention during the intercollegiate athletics season as they pursue their academic goals.”

Photo #1 – SBCC Vaqueros football players wear the Triax force meter bands around their heads and under their helmets.

Photo #2 – SBCC Vaquero soccer player MacKenzie Rios wears the Triax force meter band during practice and competition.

About Cottage Health System                                                                   
www.cottagehealthsystem.org                         

The not-for-profit Cottage Health System -- the parent organization of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and its associated Cottage Children’s Hospital and Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital, Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital, and Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital -- is guided by a volunteer board of directors from the greater Santa Barbara community. In 2013, the Cottage hospitals provided inpatient care for 20,000 people, treated 69,000 patients through their 24-hour emergency departments and helped deliver 2,300 newborns.

About Santa Barbara City College:
Founded in 1909, Santa Barbara City College currently serves approximately 25,000 students each semester who enroll in courses for transfer preparation, career education, and foundational skills and an additional 4,500 enroll in lifelong learning classes. In 2013, SBCC was named national co-winner of the prestigious Aspen Institute Prize for Community College Excellence. The college was recognized for its quality and focus in four areas: facilitating underrepresented and minority student success, student learning outcomes, degree completion and transfer rates, and labor market success in securing good jobs after college.

Our Mission: As a public community college dedicated to the success of each student…Santa Barbara City College provides students a diverse learning environment that inspires curiosity and discovery, promotes global responsibility and fosters opportunity for all.