Medical professionals will give away 300 bicycle helmets Saturday to children in Arlington so that they are protected while being active participating in sports on wheels.
The helmet giveaway is being hosted by Medical City Arlington and is conducted in partnership with the Texas Medical Association and Hard Hats for Little Heads. The event will be held at Cravens Park in South Arlington and will begin at 9 a.m. and go until all of the helmets have been given away.
The hospital's ER and trauma teams will be at the event to help properly fit the children with helmets.
In a news release, the hospital said cycling is the number one cause of injury to children age 14 and under and that injuries from bikes, scooters, skateboards and skates account for more than 500,000 ER visits each year.
"A helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent, yet fewer than half of cyclists wear one when they ride," the hospital said. "Physicians encourage wearing a helmet for all sports on wheels including biking, skateboarding, inline skating, and riding a scooter."
“At Medical City Arlington, we are committed to educating and caring for the community,” said Siddhartha Rath, MD, Medical Director of Trauma Services at Medical City Arlington. “Wearing a bicycle helmet is such a simple way to help ensure a child’s health and safety.”
The bicycle helmet giveaway is part of an ongoing initiative — Hard Hats for Little Heads — launched by the Texas Medical Association (TMA) in 1994. The program promotes fun exercise and teaches parents and children about the importance of wearing a helmet.
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Since TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads program began, TMA has given away more than 30,000 helmets to Texas children. Hard Hats for Little Heads is supported in 2018 with a TMA Foundation grant thanks to its Legacy of Caring Endowment and donors.
