Dear Coach:

Each year, about 300,000 sports-related traumatic brain injuries occur in our country, and most can be classified as concussions. Concussions can occur in any sport—and all are serious injuries!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), working in partnership with noted professional medical, sport, and educational organizations, is conducting an education initiative to help coaches
prevent, recognize, and manage concussion in high school sports. As part of this effort, we are pleased
to provide you with the enclosed tool kit, Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports. It contains:

• A concussion guide for coaches;

• A coach’s wallet card on concussion for quick reference;

• A coach’s clipboard sticker with concussion facts and space for emergency contacts;

• A fact sheet for athletes in English and Spanish;

• A fact sheet for parents in English and Spanish;

• An educational video/DVD for you to show athletes, parents, and other school staff;

• Posters to hang in the gym or locker room; and

• A CD-ROM with additional resources and references.

High school coaches can use tool kit materials to:

• Educate themselves, athletes, parents, and school officials about sports-related
  concussion; and

• Work with school officials to develop an action plan for dealing with concussion
  when it occurs.

Your views about the tool kit are invaluable to us and we invite you to share them with us. Please email your
comments to cdcinfo@cdc.gov with a subject line “Concussion Tool Kit.” The Heads Up tool kit can also be
ordered or downloaded free-of-charge at: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/tbi/Coaches_Tool_Kit.htm. We hope you
will include these materials as an integral part of your school’s athletic program.

Sincerely,