The THINK FIRST Foundation is pleased to announce the election of four new officers and two new members to the board of directors. Thomas G. Saul, MD will serve as chairman elect and will become chairman of the board in October 1996 when co-chairmen Roy W. Black and E. Fletcher Eyster, MD end their terms. Other officers of the Executive Committee are: Edward S. Connolly, MD, Vice-Chairman; Donald B. Tobin, JD, Secretary; Jeffrey M. Lobosky, MD, Medical Director.
Mr. Tobin, Patent & Trademark Counsel for The Gillette Company and Ms. Fran Inman, CEO of Inman & Associates a marketing firm in Newport Beach, were unanimously elected to the Board of Directors for a three-year term.
The THINK FIRST Foundation welcomes the new officers and extends its appreciation to past officer, James Yunker, EdD for his dedicated and diligent service to the Foundation.
THINK FIRST For KIDS Injury Prevention Program
The THINK FIRST Foundation is proud to announce the completion of its newest venture…the THINK FIRST For KIDS Injury Prevention Program! THINK FIRST For KIDS is a multi-faceted program designed to be integrated into the elementary school curriculum for grades 1-3, or ages 6 – 8 years. It features an animated character named “Street Smart”, a youngster who practices proper behavior to minimize the risk of brain and spinal cord injury.
Every year in the United States, 2 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries, which means one person is affected every 15 seconds. Of the total brain injuries, 500,000 require hospitalization; 75,000 to 100,000 die within hours of the injury; and of the survivors, 70,000 to 90,000 develop irreversible loss of function. Additionally, ten to twelve thousand spinal cord injuries occur each year. Greater than one half of these injuries are incurred by individuals who are less than 24 years of age.
Death rates in children from injury begin at about age 10. Motor vehicle occupant death rates begin increasing very steeply at age 13, peaking at 18 and then declining until the late sixties. No other causes of unintentional injury death exhibit such pronounced age effects. About 40% of total brain and spinal cord injuries occur to the under-15 age group.
The patterns of death rates during early childhood reflect various aspects of physical and mental development that influence susceptibility to injury: recognition of hazards, curiosity, ability to perform certain tasks, and a need for supervision. In order to help prevent these devastating injuries from occurring we need to reach the youth of America with the message that they can use their mind to protect their body.
Program Offered in Elementary School
THINK FIRST For KIDS will be presented in a classroom format and be integrated into the elementary school curriculum. Each grade (1-3) has a separate curriculum and array of class room activities designed specifically for its grade level. The activities are designed to be imple-mented into various subjects such as mathematics and science.
The complete program consists of a 12-minute animated video; five individual classroom safety modules designed to educate the students about activities which place them at risk for suffering a brain or spinal cord injury; five posters, and five comic strips depicting “Street Smart” in related scenarios. Each module addresses an individual safety area including vehicular safety, water safety, bicycle safety, violence, and sports and recreational safety.
THINK FIRST For KIDS is introduced through the video, “Street Smart: A THINK FIRST Adventure”. The video is culturally diverse and addresses the five safety areas by depicting true life scenarios. After presenting the video, a designated instructor takes over and is responsible for presenting a five-week, or other specified period of time, program of safety modules which educates the students about five distinct areas of activities that place them at risk for suffering a brain or spinal cord injury.
The five safety modules will be supplemented with a hands-on activity and many reinforcement strategies. In addition, each will be introduced by a bulletin board poster and followed up with a comic strip depicting “Street Smart” in multiple but related scenarios.
The THINK FIRST For KIDS program was pilot tested in 11 sites across the United States in urban, rural, and suburban environments. Results of that study, which can be obtained from the THINK FIRST National Office, will be available by early 1996.
Program Availability
The THINK FIRST For KIDS program will be available for purchase at the 64th Annual American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting April 1996, to be held in Spring in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The THINK FIRST For KIDS program will be sold as a packet or each component can be purchased separately. The packet consists of the curriculum for grades 1-3, one animated video, one set of five posters, one set of five color comic strips, and one set of five black and white comic strips. The THINK FIRST Foundation will be running a test market on the THINK FIRST For KIDS program to help us determine the final cost of the packet.
If you have any questions regarding the THINK FIRST For KIDS Injury Prevention Program, or wish to obtain a copy of the pilot program test results, please call the THINK FIRST Foundation at (847) 692-2740.