Date: 2008-05-16
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Thousands of children treated at Children’s Hospital every summer are injured riding bicycles, scooters, skateboards and other wheeled devices, and hundreds sustain injuries serious enough to require admission. In 2007, 166 children were admitted for bicycle-related injuries; unfortunately, only 25 percent were wearing a helmet.
(Media-Newswire.com) - PITTSBURGH – May 15, 2008 – The “Hard Head Patrol,” Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC’s popular initiative to increase helmet use by kids riding bicycles or anything else with wheels, kicks off this month.
Thousands of children treated at Children’s Hospital every summer are injured riding bicycles, scooters, skateboards and other wheeled devices, and hundreds sustain injuries serious enough to require admission. In 2007, 166 children were admitted for bicycle-related injuries; unfortunately, only 25 percent were wearing a helmet.
“Children’s created the Hard Head Patrol as a way to encourage kids to wear helmets that are properly fitted and give them the best protection against a serious, potentially life-threatening head injury,” said Barbara Gaines, MD, director of the Benedum Pediatric Trauma Program at Children’s. “Wearing a helmet that fits properly can reduce a child’s risk of brain injury from bicycle or similar accident by nearly 90 percent, yet we know that only one in four patients admitted to Children’s for bicycle-related injuries was wearing one.”
Beginning this month and continuing through September, Children’s representatives wearing bright red Hard Head Patrol buttons will patrol streets in their respective communities throughout the region to identify children who aren’t wearing helmets or aren’t wearing them properly while riding on anything with wheels. Children’s who are wearing a helmet will get a coupon for a free lunch at Wendy’s; those who aren’t wearing a helmet will receive a coupon for a free helmet and helmet fitting at a Children’s event.
Last summer, Hard Head Patrol representatives fanned out across more than 100 communities. More than 125 certified patrollers handed out 1,020 helmets, gave away 293 coupons for a free helmet and fitting and awarded 3,400 Wendy’s lunch coupons to kids wearing their helmets properly.
“We’re incredibly pleased with the success of the Hard Head Patrol the past two summers,” said Dr. Gaines, an assistant professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “But the fact that we gave away more than 1,300 helmets or coupons for free helmets means that not nearly enough kids are wearing them. Our goal is to have every child in this region wearing a helmet.”
The program is sponsored by Kohl’s as part of the ongoing Kohl’s Cares for Kids® program, which supports children’s health and educational opportunities. Children’s will hold 10 Hard Head helmet fittings this summer, where kids can redeem their coupons for a free helmet that will be properly fitted by a trained Children’s volunteer. The first helmet fitting is scheduled for 5–7 p.m. Thursday, May 15, 2008, at Children’s Family Care Connection center in Turtle Creek.
For a complete list of fitting times, dates and locations, or for more information on bicycle safety, visit www.chp.edu or call Children’s Injury Prevention program at 412-692-8229 or Community Education program at 412-692-7105.
Learn more about Children’s Hard Head Program.
Contacts:
Marc Lukasiak, 412-692-7919 or 412-692-5016, Marc.Lukasiak@chp.edu
Melanie Finnigan, 412-692-5502 or 412-692-5016, Melanie.Finnigan@chp.edu