DALLAS – Following an extremely thorough process the Conference USA Board of Directors has adopted a comprehensive COVID-19 plan as the league continues to cautiously move forward, while constantly evaluating every aspect related to the pandemic and our campus operations, community trends and all related state, county and public health directives.
The plan establishes the standards for daily operations, education, mental health, travel, game day and event operations, and medical protocols designed to enhance the NCAA’s Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition.
- C-USA will test football student-athletes three times a week (PCR+Antigen).
- All support and game day operations staff will meet NCAA and C-USA policy guidelines for testing.
- C-USA is in constant evaluation of the latest medical updates and in consultation with C-USA medical advisors regarding COVID-19, which may be result in changes to the policies.
In addition to relying on the C-USA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, co-chaired by North Texas team physician Michael D. Shaffer, DO, Wise Health Systems Family & Sports Medicine, and Rice Assistant AD for Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer Dean Miller MS, SCT, LAT, and composed of representatives of the team physicians, athletic trainers, athletics directors, and student-athletes, all team physicians and athletic trainers provided input. The conference also was educated and advised by a group of outstanding medical consultants:
Michael J. Ackerman, MD, PhD, FACC, Genetic Cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and President of the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation
Kevin A. Lisman, Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology, Houston Methodist
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, C. Glenn Cobbs Professor in Infectious Diseases, UAB
Dermot M. Phelan, MD, PhD, Director of the Sports Cardiology Center, Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute, Atrium Health
The Board of Directors affirmed that the health and safety of C-USA student-athletes remains the conference’s top priority as we move forward. We will continue regular dialogue with our internal and external medical experts and monitor all developments related to the COVID-19 virus.
https://conferenceusa.com/news/2020/8/31/general-c-usa-board-of-directors-medical-update.aspx
