The Matthew J. Morahan III Health Assessment Center for Athletes (Morahan Center) at RWJBarnabas Health is expanding its services to Hudson County at Newport Centre.
To mark the grand opening of the new Center, an event will be held on Saturday, April 9, from 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m., offering free cardiac and concussion baseline screenings for young athletes at its new location Newport Centre, 100 Town Square Place, Suite 403 in Jersey City.
Screenings are free of charge, and a parent or guardian must be present. An appointment is required.
To request an appointment time, parents/guardians may visit: www.rwjbh.org/jcmcevents and search by event name.
For the safety of all participants, all participants must wear masks, and only one parent per family will be able to attend to limit visitors and ensure social distancing.
"The screenings offered through Morahan Center help families take a proactive approach to concussion and cardiac issues in our youth athletes," Jason Krystofiak, MD, the program's medical director, said.
"The goal is not to terrify people with statistics, but to try to protect young athletes and also not take them out of the things they love to do."
When preliminary testing to identify serious cardiac problems is provided to young athletes, sudden cardiac arrest and tragic deaths may be avoided.
"Nearly 90 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in young athletes occur during or after athletic activities, and hidden heart conditions are often the cause," Dr. Krystofiak said.
"Cardiac screening, open to 6-to 18-year-olds, will help to identify players who may require further testing or intervention."
FDA-approved ImPACT Pediatric® concussion screenings are available to young athletes ages 5 and older (until recently, the screening was only available to those ages 10 and above).
Having a concussion baseline study (ImPACT) can help identify issues in the future. ImPACT Pediatric is an iPad-based computerized test that is individually and easily administered as well as engaging for children while effectively measuring neurocognitive function.
Dr. Krystofiak said, "If an athlete is believed to have suffered a head injury, this screening test may be used to evaluate the severity and determine when it is safe to return to play."
The Morahan Center provides education, assessment and evaluation of sports injury and sports-related cardiac and concussion screening.
Offering one of the most comprehensive pre-season screening and concussion management centers in New Jersey, the center partners with over 30 primary, secondary and NCAA partnerships across the state of New Jersey and has provided 40,000 screenings to youth sports athletes since 2010.
For more information about the Matthew J. Morahan III Health Assessment Center for Athletes in Hudson County, visit https://www.rwjbh.org/events/register/?Event=27055 or call (973) 322-7913.