USF Health has opened a new Concussion Center, offering health care providers across the Tampa Bay area with a facility dedicated to treating patients of all ages who have head injuries and symptoms of concussion.
Located in the Carrollwood area, the new Center includes specially trained primary care physicians who will effectively and safely manage concussion injuries, as well as offer access to an extensive network of USF Health experts in sports medicine, neuropsychology, neurology, psychiatry, neuro-ophthalmology, neurosurgery, and physical therapy – all working together to offer the most comprehensive care possible, said Roy Sanders, professor and chair of Orthopaedic Surgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
“This is an important advance for our community because, until our Center, there was no free-standing facility in our region devoted solely to concussion care, one that not only includes treatment and management but also prevention, education and research,” Dr. Sanders said.
Recent data shows that traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, result in up to 2.5 million emergency room visits each year in the United States. This number doesn’t account for those who do not seek medical attention for their head injuries or who are seen at physician offices so real numbers are likely much higher.
Dr. Byron Moran tests a patient’s reflexes.
In the Tampa Bay area, health care providers from emergency rooms, family practice and pediatric groups, coaches in local school districts, and athletic trainers are among the frontline experts who will connect with the Center and refer patients, said USF Health concussion expert Byron Moran, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine and medical director of the new USF Health Concussion Center.
“We are able to fill a void in the community and will be a valuable resource for quality concussion care, offering an individualized approach and a full-range of concussion management services for children, adolescents and adults with acute concussions or lingering post-concussion syndrome,” Dr. Moran said.
Time matters with head injuries. Concussions, even mild ones, need to be recognized promptly and managed appropriately to avoid potential consequences, particularly in the young developing brain. And head injuries go beyond sports and are common across many daily activities, impacting patients of all ages.
The newest approaches and best practices for concussion care are offered at the Center, Dr. Moran said.
“Gone are the days when we would recommend that someone with a concussion sit quietly in a dark room to let the brain rest,” he said. “Today’s most advanced concussion care dictates a strategic approach to returning to normal, which includes carefully planned physical activity, close monitoring, as well as physical therapy and perhaps medication. It’s that kind of hands-on care patients can expect at the USF Health Concussion Center.”
The USF Health Concussion Center is located at 10330 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Suite 220, Tampa, FL 33618.
Photos by Eric Younghans, story by Sarah Worth, USF Health Communications.
