Children of Philadelphia Get Free “Helmets 4 Safety”
American Society of Plastic Surgeons Donates Helmets To Promote Safety, Prevent Facial Injuries and Fractures
PHILADELPHIA – The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) will donate 1,000 multi-sport helmets to the children of Philadelphia to promote safety and prevent facial injuries and fractures. The event will be held at McCall Elementary School in Philadelphia on Oct. 13 from 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
“Every year board-certified plastic surgeons repair injuries from accidents that happen on bikes, skateboards or scooters,” said ASPS President Rod Rohrich, MD. “Serious facial injuries such as lacerations and fractures as well as road burn and brain injuries could easily be prevented by wearing a protective helmet.”
- Bike riding remains one of the most popular recreational sports among children in America. It is the leading cause of recreational sports injuries treated in emergency rooms. An estimated 44.3 million people younger than 21 years old ride bikes in the United States. Children aged 15 and younger accounted for 59 percent of the 500,000 bicycle-related injuries in 2001.
- Over the past decade, there has been a resurgence in recreational skateboarding among children and an increased number of injuries. Skateboard-related injuries have nearly doubled since 1994, accounting for an estimated 50,000 emergency room visits and 1,500 hospitalizations among children in the United States each year.
- One of the newer recreational sports for children, non-powered scooters, first hit the scene in 2000 and is a major source of injuries for children. Non-powered scooter-related injuries accounted for an estimated 84,000 emergency room visits in 2001, 85 percent of the patients were children under 15.
Many of these injuries could have been avoided if proper protective gear had been worn. Studies have shown that helmets could prevent 88 percent of serious brain injuries and 65 percent of injuries to the mid- and upper face. Even with this information, children who say they “always” wear helmets varies among states from only 13 to 65 percent.
As the ASPS welcomes more than 5,000 plastic surgeons, medical personnel, and exhibitors to Plastic Surgery 2004, its’ annual scientific meeting, Oct. 9-13, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, the society wants to give its host city a gift to benefit its most prized possessions, its children.
ASPS, in coordination with the School District of Philadelphia, selected McCall Elementary School for this donation due to the racial and ethnic diversity and need of its student body. McCall Elementary serves grades kindergarten through eighth and has the largest student body in Philadelphia’s historic Society Hill section. All of the students at McCall Elementary, about 500, will receive helmets. The remainder of the helmets will be distributed by the School District to other schools or at special events before the 2004-05 school year ends.
“The School Reform Commission and School District of Philadelphia would like to thank ASPS for their generous donation of safety helmets,” said Paul Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia. “Pennsylvania law requires all children under the age of 12 to wear an approved bicycle helmet when riding a bicycle, but we know that many do not. The single most effective safety device available to reduce brain injury and death from bicycle, skateboard, and scooter accidents is a helmet and we know these 1,000 helmets will save lives.”
The School District of Philadelphia is one of the largest school districts in the nation with 200,000 students in more than 270 schools. It serves a racially and ethnically diverse student population. Over the past two years the District has seen a dramatic rise in test scores. In addition, the District has reduced class-sizes; expanded its curriculum reforms in conjunction with math, social studies and reading improvements; allocated millions of dollars for arts, music and literacy programs; and launched a $1.5 billion Capital Improvement Program.
* Statistics provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics Bicycle Helmets Policy Statement and the Skateboard and Scooter Injuries Policy Statement; the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
About ASPS
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. Representing more than 7,000 physician members, the Society is recognized as a leading authority and information source on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS comprises more than 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States. Founded in 1931, the Society represents physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Contact ASPS
Media Relations | 847-228-9900 | media@plasticsurgery.org
