Grant To Help Improve Kids’ Health With Free Helmets
May 29, 2014
AUSTIN, TEXAS (May 29, 2014) — The Texas
Medical Association (TMA) announced
today that its philanthropic arm, TMA Foundation (TMAF), received a grant from Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) through the health plan’s Healthy Kids,
Healthy Families initiative.
The grant
supports TMA’s Hard
Hats for Little Heads
bicycle helmet giveaway program, which in 2014
has distributed nearly 11,000 helmets to Texas children, including more than 3,200
during Bike Month in May.
“Because of
our commitment to improve the health of all Texans, we are now partnering with
BCBSTX, whose Healthy Kids, Healthy Families vision is to help improve the
health of youth in local communities,” said G.
Sealy Massingill, MD, Fort Worth, TMA Foundation president.
“Each year about a half a million
children in the United States are seriously injured in bike-related accidents.
And if a helmet is not worn, these accidents can result in brain damage or
death. The goal of TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads is to keep children safe,”
added Dr. Massingill.
“We’re proud
to give our support to TMA and TMAF as a Healthy Kids, Healthy Families
partner,” said Catherine Oliveros, director, Community Affairs, BCBSTX.
“Through their work, we expect to see measurable improvement in children’s
health by giving away free, properly fitted helmets.”
Healthy Kids,
Healthy Families began as a three-year initiative that aimed to pull together
local, state, and national resources to make a significant impact on childhood
health and wellness. Now it is a signature initiative of BCBSTX and part
of its ongoing commitment to invest in Texas communities. Likewise, TMA and TMA
Foundation are committed to helping children prevent injury and exercise safely
with Hard Hats for Little Heads, which is celebrating 20 years of keeping kids
safe.
At Hard Hats events, physicians
and their community collaborators gives helmets to kids who need one and
educate them and their parents about why it is critical to wear the appropriate
helmet for the appropriate sport. Physicians urge
children to wear a properly fitted helmet each time they ride their bike or
participate in any sport on wheels, including skateboarding, rollerblading, and
riding a scooter.
About Healthy Kids, Healthy Families
Healthy Kids,
Healthy Families (HKHF) began as a three-year initiative designed to improve
the health and wellness of at least 1 million children through community
investments by Health Care Service Corporation and its Blue Cross and Blue
Shield plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Reaching nearly 3 million
children within the first two years, HKHF is now a signature program of the
organization and part of an ongoing commitment to invest in and partner with
nonprofit organizations that offer sustainable, measurable programs to reach
children and their families in areas of nutrition, physical activity, disease
prevention and management, and supporting safe environments. To learn more
about Health Kids, Healthy Families, please visit www.healthykidshealthyfamilies.org.
About TMA Foundation
TMA Foundation is the
philanthropic arm of the Texas Medical Association and raises funds to support
the public health and science priority initiatives of TMA and the family of
medicine. One of those programs is TMA’s Hard Hats for Little Heads, which
began in 1994. Since that time, more than 170,000 Texas children have received
a free helmet.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) — the only
statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of
health benefits in the state, working with nearly 80,000 physicians and 500
hospitals to serve 4.8 million members in all 254 counties. It has also been
ranked “Highest Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in Texas” for
three years in a row by J.D. Power and Associates. BCBSTX is a Division of
Health Care Service Corporation (which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield
plans in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Montana), the country’s
largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer
overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve
Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Association.
BCBSTX.com | Twitter.com/BCBSTX | Facebook.com/BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas
| YouTube.com/BCBSTX
BCBSTX Media Contact: Texas
Medical Association Media Contact
Margaret Jarvis Pam
Udall
972-766-7165 512-370-1382;
(512) 413-6807 (cell)
Margaret_Jarvis[at]bcbstx[dot]com pam.udall[at]texmed[dot]org
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