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1st Official Partnership to Honor Thomas
Sept. 19, 2000
Health Midwest and The Kansas City Chiefs are teaming up to encourage members of the community to use their seat belts and wear their safety helmets in honor of the memory of Chiefs great Derrick Thomas. Through Think First of Greater Kansas City, a free educational community program sponsored by Health Midwest, the Chiefs and Health Midwest hope to raise awareness, understanding and prevention of head and spinal cord injury. The "Think First" community effort will be unveiled by Chiefs President Carl Peterson and Health Midwest Senior Vice-President Tom Cranshaw on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The press conference begins at 12:30 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium.
"The only cure for head and spinal cord injuries is prevention. Through this partnership, we hope to encourage our community to 'Think First' and wear their seat belts and safety helmets. We applaud the Chiefs organization for their commitment to help us keep Kansas Citians safe and healthy," said Health Midwest CEO and President Richard W. Brown.
Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards, cornerback James Hasty, and defensive tackle Chester McGlockton will serve as spokespersons for the "Think First" program. In addition, KC Wolf and other Chiefs players will visit schools and safety fairs, educating kids and adults about the importance of seat belts and safety helmets. PSAs and banners at Arrowhead will remind the community to buckle up in memory of Derrick Thomas.
Think First of Greater Kansas City is part of the National Injury Prevention Program.
Think First is designed to create an understanding and prevention of head and spinal cord injuries. The Kansas City chapter was started in 1987 by Robert Morantz, M.D., at Research Medical Center, a member of the Health Midwest family.
Health Midwest is a complete health care system serving metropolitan Kansas City and outlying regions. The system encompasses 15 general acute care, rehabilitation and mental health centers and a broad spectrum of other health related services. To learn more about Health Midwest, visit our Web site at www.healthmidwest.org.
NOTE TO MEDIA: Think First speaker Chris Sampson will be available for interviews when the "Think First" community effort is unveiled on Tuesday. Eight years ago, Chris was injured in a car accident that left him a quadriplegic. His spinal cord injury was a direct result of not wearing his seat belt. As a speaker for Think First, he has shared his story with thousands of people in the community, educating them about the importance of seat belt safety.
FACTS ABOUT SEAT BELT AND SAFETY HELMETS
Why is wearing a seat belt and safety helmet so important? Consider these statistics:
- Each year, more than 500,000 head and spinal cord injuries occur in the United States. Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of these debilitating injuries æ 44 percent of these accidents cause spinal cord injuries in U.S. drivers and passengers who were not wearing a seat belt. Currently, only 67 percent of Americans use seat belts every time they are in a car.
- Bicycle-related crashes kill more than 900 people every year and send about 567,000 to hospital emergency rooms with injuries. Head injury is the leading cause of death in bicycle crashes. Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of bicycle-related death and injury by 80 percent.
from kc chiefs.com
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