Free Brain Health Baselines at PPER
Local ER Doctors Offer Free Brain Health Baselines this Monday, July 31 to Youth Athletes and Families
San Antonio, TX July 26, 2017 — Doctors at Physicians PremiER Emergency Room Centers want the local San Antonio community to know that protecting the brain health of youth athletes is very important – and they’re doing something to get that message out. Partnering with Quadrant Biosciences Inc., a neuroscience research company, Physicians Premier ER will offer free brain health baseline tests this Monday, July 31st at their ER locations in Spring Branch and New Braunfels. The tests are open to youth athletes and their family members.
“We have a great opportunity to be involved in a new, FDA pending technology called ClearEdge to baseline test our athletes, as well as any family members who might be interested,” said Dr. Matthew Cross, a board-certified emergency physician and medical director for Physicians Premier ER. “ClearEdge provides healthcare professionals a toolkit of separate cognitive and balance tests, as well as symptom and medical history questionnaires, to baseline our patients.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Heads Up Concussion in Youth Sports Program, baseline tests are used to “assess an athlete’s balance and brain function…, as well as for the presence of any concussion symptoms.” Results of these baseline tests can then be compared to a subsequent exam, if an athlete has a suspected head injury, to look for functional changes.
Dr. Cross explained that baseline tests that include balance assessments, cognitive function screening and overall symptom screening are preferred over single domain tests. “There is strong support in the literature that an assessment of these three domains is very useful when evaluating concussion patients, tracking their recovery, and making return to play decisions. But, beyond concussion, monitoring changes in cognitive function, balance and symptoms over time may be a valuable brain health screening tool.”
As part of a screening initiative, Physicians PremiER is offering the test to family members of the athletes as well. “Even if you’re not a youth athlete,” Dr. Cross noted, “regular tests like these can be a way to track brain health over time. Cognitive testing, for example, has been used as a screen for ADHD, Dementia, Post Traumatic Brain Disorder and Depression.”
The test, administered by trained healthcare professionals at Physicians PremiER, takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. It is available to all individuals able to stand unassisted, age 5 and older. Dr. Cross is hopeful that the community heeds the message about brain health. “At Physicians PremiER, we are committed to educating our community about brain health and wellness, and providing the most efficacious and cutting edge technologies to evaluate, treat and monitor our patients. With the high incidence of concussion among youth athletes and the growing rate of neurologic disorders among adults, brain health screening should be a regular part of everyone’s annual health and wellness evaluations.”
Anyone interested in participating in the testing should contact Quadrant Biosciences by emailing logan.rubio@quadrantbiosciences.com for details on how to register.
Physicians PremiER is a free-standing emergency room designed as an alternative to traditional hospital emergency departments and urgent care clinics. Their facilities include advanced technology such as EKGs, CT scans, digital x-rays and ultrasounds.
For more information about Physicians PremiER, please visit www.mdpremier.com.
For information about Quadrant biosciences, please visit www.quadrantbiosciences.com.
ER Locations for Testing:
Spring Branch – 20475 Highway 46, Suite 100
Spring Branch, TX 78070
(830) 438-6911
https://mdpremier.com/bulverde-tx-emergency-room/
Media Contact:
Rebecca Childs
MDR Advertising
Tel 361-883-6327 x 106
Email: rebecca@mdradvertising.com
