Looking for a Few Good Physicians

There is still room for family physicians to sign up for the TAFP’s accident prevention and public relations campaign, which will be staged in conjunction with National Bicycle Safety Month this May. In the campaign, Academy staff will recruit members to take part in the TMA Foundation’s Hard Hats for Little Heads, a program through which physicians host bicycle safety events where they distribute and fit safety helmets to children in the community. TAFP will cover the cost of half of the helmets distributed and the TMA Foundation takes care of the other half. The hope is that this campaign can be a model for a series of public service events designed to increase public awareness of family medicine while doing good in the community.

To have a geographically balanced campaign, TAFP is calling for increased participation in West and South Texas, specifically Beaumont, Port Arthur, El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo and all points in between.

“Wearing a bicycle helmet is such a simple way to help ensure a child’s health and safety,” said Erica Swegler, M.D., president of TAFP. “We physicians wanted to start summer vacation right by putting a helmet on our children’s heads.”

Head injury from crashes is the most common cause of death and serious disability when riding a bike. Helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent, yet only about 25 percent of cyclists wear a helmet when they ride.

Participating physicians will coordinate a one-day program where they will distribute the helmets to local children and presents bike safety and accident prevention. Some physicians have chosen to hold the event at a local fair and others will host the event at their community clinic. If you are interested in hosting an event, please e-mail Rob Ripperda at rripperda@tafp.org or call Rob at (512) 329-8666.