Hard Hats for Little Heads
TAFP invites you to participate in the 2008 Hard Hats for Little Heads program, a program dedicated to the prevention of head injuries due to bicycle accidents. Hard Hats is sponsored by the Texas Medical Association and funded by the TMA Foundation. Through the program, physicians sign up through TMA and order up to 100 bicycle helmets to be distributed through school safety demonstrations, community fair booths or other events. TMA covers the cost of up to 50 helmets and, for TAFP members only, TAFP will cover the cost of the physician’s half.
Bicycle helmet giveaways can be held in a variety of venues: at local clinics, offices, schools, hospitals or town festivals. Promote bicycle safety during Safe Kids Week, April 28-May 6; Bike Month in May; National Safety Month in June; or at any other time during the year.
Head injury is the most common cause of serious disability or death in bicycle crashes, and wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of injury by as much as 85 percent. Your youngest patients need you to provide this preventative care measure to help them stay safe while enjoying their bicycles. Do your part in maintaining the high standard of compassionate support and leadership that family physicians provide to the community.
To participate in Hard Hats for Little Heads, contact TMA’s program coordinator Tammy Wishard at tammy.wishard@texmed.org or (512) 340-1470 and she will start the process of signing waivers, sending an information packet and placing your helmet order. Make sure to tell her you are a TAFP member to take advantage of TAFP’s matching offer. TAFP will sponsor up to 25 TAFP members.
Contact Kate McCann at the Texas Academy of Family Physicians with any questions by e-mail kmccann@tafp.org or by calling (512) 329-8666 ext. 16.
Resources:
Visit the Hard Hats for Little Heads Web site for helmet donation ideas, program details, contact information and more.
Find out just how important bicycle helmets are. Read Injury-Control Recommendations pertaining to bicycle helmets from the Centers for Disease Control.
Read an article on TAFP’s first year of participation in the program, published in TEXAS FAMILY PHYSICIAN magazine.
New: While supplies last, order the new promotional sticker, Family Docs Care 4 Kids, by contacting Kate McCann. TAFP designed the sticker to promote the family physician’s role in keeping children healthy. Participating physicians may hand out the stickers at Hard Hats for Little Heads events or adhere them to the side of each child’s bicycle helmet. View the sticker below.
