The Value of Ski Helmets
Borgess Trauma Coordinator Amy Koestner said that the hospital has been selling ski helmets for several years as an injury-prevention activity for the community. Borgess has sold more than 300 helmets since November, she said. Koestner cited last winter’s death of actress Natasha Richardson, who suffered a head injury while skiing, as a compelling reason why ski helmets are needed.
Now, both kids and parents are coming in for enough for their whole families. The hospital sells the helmets for $18. They are available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on the ground floor of the Borgess Medical Specialty Building.
Bronson Methodist Hospital has a similar program, and helmets are $20. To register by phone for a fitting, call Bronson HealthAnswers at (269) 341-7723 or (800) 451-6310.
Deb Carpenter, coordinator of Safe Kids Kalamazoo County at The Children’s Hospital at Bronson, said that many statistics support the value of helmets.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, ski helmets could prevent or reduce the effects of 53 percent of the head injuries suffered by children under 15 while skiing or snowboarding, she said. Each year, children ages 0-14 years suffer nearly 52,000 injuries involving snowmobiles, sleds, snow skis or snowboards.
There is no consensus among experts about the need for helmets while ice skating, but parents should keep in mind that beginners are likely to fall down a lot, Carpenter said. Helmets are a must for ice hockey, along with mouth guards, knee pads and elbow, shoulder and shin protection.
SkiHelmets.org Note: This is an excerpt from an article written about winter safety in general. To read the entire article, please visit: http://www.mlive.com/living/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/12/healthlife_take_steps_to_guard.html
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