St. Patrick School students take part in "I Got Caught" program
Submitted by admin on Wed, 12/09/2009 - 4:00am
This fall, students at St. Patrick School in Waukon participated in the "I Got Caught" Program. The "I Got Caught" Program educates young Iowans about injury prevention during 45-minute presentations at elementary and middle schools. The presentation includes a movie, a talk by a VIP (Voice for Injury Prevention) speaker who shares with the children what it’s like to have a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury, and a few fun demonstrations to encourage bike safety. As a part of the program, every student received a free bike helmet.
The mission of the "I Got Caught" program is to reward children for wearing helmets in an effort to promote helmet usage in order to prevent traumatic injuries on bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, and scooters. I Got Caught is an Iowa Health System community outreach education program designed to provide free bicycle safety education for elementary and middle school students in an effort to prevent brain and spinal cord injuries.
The "I Got Caught" program emphasizes the following may help prevent a brain or spinal cord injury:
• Always wear a helmet when participating in contact sports and when rollerblading, riding a motorcycle, snowmobile, skateboard, ATV, or bicycle.
• Always wear a seat belt.
• Check the depth of water and check for objects below the surface before jumping or diving in.
• Avoid situations with potential for violence.
• Play safely.
Annually, an estimated 500,000 individuals receive brain and spinal cord injuries in the United States. Each year more than 800 bicyclists are killed and another 55,000 are injured. Young Iowans are at high risk for these devastating injuries, many of which are preventable by wearing a helmet. During a crash, a properly worn helmet will reduce the risk of death or injury. Statistics have shown that helmets reduce the risk of a traumatic brain injury by as much as 88%.
For more information about "I Got Caught", go to http://www.ihs.org/body.cfm?id=1322 or telephone 319-226-2155.
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