Hard Hats for Little Heads helmet giveaway

Texas Medical Association is sponsoring a helmet giveaway program!

The Texas Medical Association’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program was created in 1994 to help reduce head injury among Texas children. Head injury, the most common cause of serious disability or death in bicycle crashes, can be reduced by as much as 85 percent with proper use of a helmet. TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads encourages children and adults to wear a properly fitting helmet in all wheeled sports: bicycling, skateboarding, inline skating, and when riding a scooter.

Each event is a partnership between TMA and a local physician. For more information see http://www.texmed.org/hardhats/

If you are a school or parent – How to Find a Physician Sponsor

All Hard Hat events must have a TMA physician serve as an event sponsor. Physicians can educate parents and children about why wearing a helmet is critical and the benefits of adopting an active lifestyle. Here are some suggestions for finding a physician:

• Call your local county medical society to see if staff can recommend a physician to sponsor your event, or if the organization would be willing to partner with you.
• Call a local hospital to see if it will cosponsor an event with you or recommend a physician who might be interested.
• Contact a local physician who is a member of your organization or who attends the sponsoring school to see if he or she will sponsor and participate in your event.
• E-mail TMA’s outreach coordinator for assistance in finding a local physician sponsor.

Events with no physician sponsor are required to show TMA’s Hard Hats DVD, which features Tom Coopwood, MD, an Austin trauma surgeon. Dr. Coopwood explains why wearing a helmet is important and demonstrates how to fit a helmet properly on a child.

If you are a Physician – How You Can Get Involved

Physicians can get involved by sponsoring a helmet giveaway. It is a perfect way to protect children in your community from serious brain injury and to promote safe exercise. You can give the helmets away in any way you choose — in your office during appointments, at a health fair or other community event, or as part of a bike rodeo, or you can partner with a school or other community group to give helmets away.

A Hard Hats event cannot take place unless a physician is involved. These events help to showcase TMA’s commitment to improving the health of all Texans. Your role at a Hard Hats event includes one or more of these (remember to wear your white coat):

• Discuss the importance of wearing a helmet,
• Describe the benefits of exercise at every age and why it is so important,
• Demonstrate how to wear a helmet properly,
• Ensure each helmet given to a child is fit properly,
• Do a media interview, and
• Visit with community residents.

TMA offers step-by-step assistance to organize, promote, and execute a helmet giveaway. Plus, we provide all the materials and merchandise you need for a successful event. Get involved today.

How to Plan a Hard Hats for Little Heads Event

TMA has all the tools you need to plan, organize, and implement a helmet giveaway. Plus, we have free educational materials to enhance your event.

• Event Checklist: Follow this handy checklist to ensure you cover all event logistics.
• Event Ideas: Learn creative ways to make your helmet giveaway event a success.
• Event Photography Tips: Use these tips to capture winning photos at your event.
• Helmet Sizing Chart: Ensure you order the correct helmet sizes for your audience and fit them correctly.
• Photo Release Form (English and Spanish): Taking photos at your event is important. TMA can use these in our publications or you can send them to the newspaper for follow-up coverage of your event. Use this form to get parents’ permission to photograph a child. Without this form, a photograph cannot be reprinted.
• Guidelines for Recognizing Program Donors: Use this guide to correctly credit Hard Hats program funders in news releases and other promotional materials.
• Media Coverage for Your Outreach Event (PDF): Alert the media to your event and help ensure they cover it.
• TMA Donor Recognition Poster (English and Spanish): Post at events to credit TMA for its free helmet contribution.
• Guidelines for Recognizing Texas Academy of Family Physicians: Created specifically for TAFP-physician sponsored events. Use this guide to ensure proper credit is given to all event sponsors.
• Event Survey: Complete and return this form to TMA after your event. We need your feedback to track the program’s success and to report to grant funders

Upcoming Helmet Giveaways

April 9: Houston, Emergency Medical Services for Children Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital

April 9: Wichita Falls, Wichita County Medical Society (CMS) Alliance, Wichita Falls Traffic Safety Commission, and American Medical Response

April 9: Abilene, Taylor-Jones-Haskell-Callahan CMS Alliance

April 9: Fort Worth¸ UNTHSC-TCOM students

April 13-14: LaGrange, General & Laparoendoscopic Surgeons of Central Texas and LaGrange Breakfast Lion’s Club

April 14: Plano, Natalia Gutierrez, MD, and Clinica Mi Doctor

April 16: Dallas, UT Southwestern medical students

April 16: Fort Worth, UNTHSC-TCOM students

April 20: Galveston, UTMB Departments of Preventive Medicine & Community Health, and Trauma Services

April 23: Linden, Good Shepherd Medical Center-Linden

April 30: Dallas, UT Southwestern medical students

May 1: Jacksonville, Cherokee CMS

May 6: Odessa, Ector CMS Alliance and Reagan Magnet

May 7: Marshall, Good Shepherd Medical Center-Marshall Trauma Services

May 7: The Woodlands, Think First

May 11: Odessa, Ector CMS Alliance and Pease Elementary

May 13: Odessa, Ector CMS Alliance and Gale Pond Alamo

May 14: Conroe, Lone Star Family Health Center

For more information see http://www.texmed.org/hardhats/