SRJC, congressman Mike Thompson and the Sonoma State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, will host a community discussion surrounding the identification and prevention of concussions Oct. 30.

With national media coverage investigating the reasons behind why star athletes such as Troy Polamalu, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Sidney Crosby are suffering concussions at a rate never before recorded, the issue of athletic-related concussions is at the forefront of sports participation and education.

According to the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, more than 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur in the United States each year. More than 62,000 of those cases involve high school and college athletes. Concussions and head injuries are happening with greater frequency and consequences each year across all sports.

The open discussion gives athletes, coaches and parents the opportunity to speak with experts about how to recognize a possible concussion, how to prevent serious head injuries and how to respond to head injuries when they occur.

Among the six speakers are SRJC head athletic trainer Monica Ohkubo and Chair of Disability Resources Department Nancy Chinn. In August of this year, Ohkubo and Chinn traveled to Cambridge University in England to lecture on Chinn’s research titled “Concussion Management in California Community College Athletics” at the third annual International Conference on Sport and Society.

The publicity and awareness gained from the trip overseas sparked SRJC to plan own presentation to inform the local community about Chinn’s research involving concussion education and prevention.

The discussion will be held at 1801 East Cotati Ave. in Rohnert Park at “The Commons” at Sonoma State University.