Bike Helmet Safety Awareness announces:

T-Shirt Sale and Helmet Contest

Only $15 per shirt!

Win up to 30 helmets for your group!

Open through April 11, 2014

*Proceeds will be used for the purchase of bike helmets.

The Ohio AAP Put a Lid On It Program is happy to announce our first ever t-shirt sale and contest in conjunction with Bike Helmet Safety Week 2014! Now through April 11, you can purchase a shirt for only $15, with proceeds supporting the purchase of bike helmets. The group who purchases the most t-shirts will win 30 bike helmets; additional winners are possible subject to the success of the sale. You do not have to participate in the contest to purchase a shirt – every sale will lead to additional helmets for Ohio’s children!

To participate, simply:

1. Visit: http://www.booster.com/put-a-lid-on-it by April 11.
   1. Share this link with anyone who may be interested in purchasing t-shirts or supporting the Put A Lid On It program.
2. Purchase your desired number of Put A Lid On It t-shirts through the site.
   1. T-shirts are available in sizes from Youth XS to Adult 4XL (ladies shirts also available!)
   2. Shirts cost only $15.00 each, and there is a $5.00 shipping and handling fee per order – order multiple shirts together to minimize this fee!
3. When checking out, put your group’s name in the “Display my name as:” box. We will add all orders with the same group name together to determine the contest winner(s).
   1. Be sure to share your agreed upon group name for checkout with anyone who will be ordering shirts from your group.
4. T-shirts will be automatically delivered to the address you enter at checkout on about April 25.
5. We will contact the contest winner(s) regarding distribution of their helmets after the close of sales on April 11.

* Please also note: Helmet grant decisions will be announced by the end of this week.

NATIONAL POISON PREVENTION WEEK

Poison Prevention Week is March 16^th – 22^rd.

Both locally and nationally, drug overdose continues to be the leading cause of unintentional fatalities, causing more deaths than auto accidents or firearms.  Poison centers continue to be the focal point for prevention and treatment of these exposures, with over 3 million people every year contacting poison centers nationally to report a poisoning.  The vast majority of these cases can be handled in the home with the help of a poison center’s specially trained staff.

Not only is treatment in the home better for the patient, but it’s dramatically better economically for our entire health care system.  A recent study found that poison centers saved our health care system a total of $1.82 billion in 2011; and for every $1 spent on our poison centers, our health care system saves $13.39.  That’s a great return on an investment in public health.  And this “investment” in poison centers which saves all this money comes at a cost of only 43 cents per U.S. resident per year.

Unfortunately, we still get many calls from emergency departments regarding a patient who could have been safely treated at home, but came to the ED without contacting us first.  So we know that many people are either not aware of the importance of contacting us immediately in the case of an exposure, or they don’t know how to reach us.

One of the best ways you can help with both of those situations is the continued promotion of the national poison hotline: 1-800-222-1222.  Calling this number from anywhere in the U.S. immediately connects the caller with the appropriate poison control center for their location, much like the 911 system.  This one number gives people simple access to emergency poison information whether they are at home or traveling on vacation or business, and is especially important for a regional center like ours that covers several areas across the state.

Thank you for supporting our efforts in this critical area of health care.  With your help we can make an even greater difference in both the outcomes for patients and the cost of health care for our communities.

Materials to enhance poison prevention awareness are available via the following links:

• http://www.poisonprevention.org/index.htm
• http://www.aapcc.org/
• http://www.poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/uploads/valueofpoisoncenters.png
• http://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/resources/index.html
• http://poisonhelp.hrsa.gov/resources/materials/infographic.html

If you have a passion for Injury, Violence and/or Poison Prevention and you would like to get involved, please contact Sarah Denny, MD or Mike Gittelman, MD.