LOUISVILLE, Ky. – March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and UofL Health is partnering with a Jefferson County Public School to hand out bike helmets and help prevent common injuries.
UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute and Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky (BIAK) are donating bike helmets to approximately 80 second-grade students at Frayser Elementary, thanks to a grant BIAK received. Students participated in a short educational assembly led by Frazier Rehab staff to provide fun facts about the brain and how to prevent injuries while participating in sports and leisure activities, such as riding a bike. The students were then fitted for the helmets before taking them home.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that bicycling leads to the highest number of sport and recreation-related emergency department visits for traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. Between 2009 and 2018, there were nearly 600,000 visits for bicycle-related traumatic brain injuries, especially among children. Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%.
Additionally, brain injury is the leading cause of disability and death in children and adolescents in the U.S., according to the CDC. The two age groups at greatest risk for brain injury are age 0-4 and 15-19. Among children ages 0 to 14, brain injury results in an estimated 2,685 deaths, 37,000 hospitalizations and 435,000 emergency department visits.
The Brain Injury Alliance of Kentucky’s mission is to serve those affected by brain injury through advocacy, education, prevention, service and support. In 2024, BIAK donated over 2,500 bike helmets across the state in an effort to help prevent brain injury.
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