2005 Press Releases
‘Safe & Healthy for Summer’ ROME — Several community agencies have joined with Rome Memorial Hospital to offer the “Safe & Healthy for Summer” program Saturday, June 4th. The fun-filled program is a free event that helps educate children – ages 4 to 12 – and their families about summer dangers and how to prevent them. The event is held rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is centered on a bicycle safety obstacle course that incorporates most of the hospital’s parking area off of Black River Boulevard. Children will have an opportunity to have their bikes inspected for general safety and will earn free giveaways by completing the obstacle course. Children must wear bicycle helmets to participate. Children can climb aboard a real fire truck and ambulance and escape from the “smoke house,” a portable home with smoke-simulating equipment. Parents can have a laminated identification card, with photo and fingerprint, made of their children courtesy of the Rome Police Department. In addition, there will be presentations on stranger awareness by Bailey’s Karate School. Information will also be available on animal bite prevention, the importance of good nutrition and exercise, smoking, drug and alcohol awareness, poison prevention, water safety and sun safety and first aid. Students from Bailey’s perform martial arts demonstrations and there will be drawings and free-giveaways. A free cookout will be held through a grant from Rome Medical Group. Through grants from Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Rome Rotary, 360 bike safety helmets will be given away to children who attend. Nationally, about 153,000 bicyclists visit Emergency Rooms with head injuries and about 17,000 of them result in a hospital admission. The injury rates are highest between the ages of 5 and 15. “A good helmet can help protect you from a severe head injury, but only if you wear it,” said Gale Barone, Director of Education. According to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by almost 88 percent. Studies show that three-fourths of all bicycle related deaths and serious injuries involve brain damage. The Snell Foundation, which tests helmets to verify quality production, offers the following tips when looking for a helmet: ¨ Try the helmet on before you buy it and adjust the chinstrap firmly but comfortably. Try another helmet size or design if simple hand pressure shifts or tilts a helmet significantly on your head or forces it off your head. ¨ Wear your helmet every time you ride your bicycle. The helmet should be worn low on the forehead just above the eyebrows with the chinstrap fastened firmly. ¨ Only use manufacturer approved decorations and cleaners and replace your helmet if it’s been damaged. Helmets should be replaced every five years. Safe & Healthy for Summer is made possible by the cooperation of local agencies including Rome City Police and Fire Departments, Animal Control Department, AmCare Ambulance Service, Catholic Charities, the Oneida County Health Department, the City of Rome Parks & Recreation Department, and Bailey’s Karate School. Also assisting with funding are the Lake Delta Kiwanis, Pediatric and Adolescent Medical Associates and the Rome sorority Laureate Alpha Lambda. Sidebar: Four ways to convince kids to wear helmets: Helmets can be effective only if children actually wear them. Here are some tips to help convince your child to wear his or her helmet: 1. Build the habit early and wear your helmet when taking your child on their first bike ride. 2. Let your child pick out their own bike helmet or buy a plain helmet so they can place their favorite stickers on it. 3. Initiate a discussion at school PTG meetings to help build community-wide compliance. Children are less likely to ditch the helmet if their friends are wearing theirs. 4. Remind them that New York State mandates that children wear bike helmets.
| 