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ThinkFirst News
Blow by Blow: Sport Concussion Management
Gain important knowledge about concussion management from the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. Blow by Blow: Sport Concussion Management, the Donald Sanderson Memorial Symposium on Sport Concussion will be held on Tuesday August 31st from 6:30 - 8:30pm at York Keele Campus. To read more about this important event and to register please follow the link: Blow by Blow: Sport Concussion Management.
2009 Annual Report
The 2009 Annual Report is now available for download. Please read through to have a look at all of ThinkFirst's success for 2009. Thank you for your continuing support.
One Voice Safer Canada - Collaborative study to advance the injury cause in Canada
As co-sponsors of the collaborative study to advance the injury cause in Canada, we want to express our collective support for One Voice - Safer Canada. We are proud of the excellent work being done across Canada both within our own organizations and by others. However, we believe that efforts to reduce the devastating burden of injury on individuals, families and society must be taken to a new level. We are grateful to the participants of study groups and embrace the Study's broad key findings and recommendations for change. First and foremost, we unanimously agree with the Study's conclusion that the status quo for injury in Canada is simply not an option. We endorse the view that a new national unifying entity is needed to mobilize support and gain momentum for injury prevention, elevate Canada's international ranking in the field and deepen and broaden access to the resources required to affect significant change. We agree that a new national entity would support the creation of injury as a distinct new health category in Canada. Injury today, in all its forms among all Canadians, is a seriously under-recognized public health issue. The Study calls for us to speak with one voice. While further clarification of the Study content is needed and further discussion is warranted to explore and refine the options and elements to achieve the outcomes envisioned, we are already taking some of the next steps on the path toward unifying efforts to generate support of our shared cause. We are mindful that this discussion extends well beyond the orbits of our four organizations. In fact, the success of this vision depends directly on the collaboration and participation of a broad range of people and organizations within the injury prevention sector. We are continuing on hearing your voice as we proceed with the next phase of this work. While the burden of injury is staggering, the possibilities for change are inspiring.
To read the study please follow the link: One Voice Safer Canada.
THE DR. CHARLES TATOR THINKFIRST CANADA LECTURESHIP 2010
On May 11th 2010, celebrated athlete and Order of Canada recipient, Rick Hansen delivered the inaugural ThinkFirst Canada lectureship alongside fellow Order of Canada recipient, neurosurgeon, and founder of ThinkFirst Canada, Dr. Charles Tator. Hansen and Tator addressed the significance of spinal cord injury in Canada and the need for prevention. The event was a great success and ThinkFirst looks forward to planning next year's lecture.
The event would not have been possible with out the generous help of our supporters. Special thanks to TD Financial Group for hosting the event and their continued support of ThinkFirst. As well, thank you to Beverly Thomson, co-host of Canada AM, for moderating the lecture.
ThinkFirst also congratulates all of the award winners from the evening: Sally Lockhart, Chris Parker, Fred Roberts, Robert Lewocz, Alan Convery and TD Bank Financial Group. We are grateful for your continued work in injury prevention.
Pictured above: Dr. Charles Tator, Rick Hanse, Beverly Thomson
Pictured below: Rick Hansen
Head injuries the most serious injury risk when kids are on wheels
Safe Kids Canada has just released an article on helmet use and safety just in time for the summer. The release includes quotes from ThinkFirst Founder Dr. Charles Tator. Click here to read the release in English or French.
Think about all that goes into a helmet - The ThinkFirst ThinkTank
Thought leaders in sports-related brain and head injury prevention programming, health legislation, advocacy, and helmet design are coming together on May 11th to showcase the latest research and strategies in injury prevention and helmet protection.
The ThinkTank will explore current debates surrounding helmet use for injury prevention.
Follow ThinkFirst on twitter!!
ThinkFirst is now on twitter. Stay up to date with injury prevention tips and resources, news, events and updates. Follow us by clicking below:
ThinkFirst about injury prevention
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.
City of Ottawa Launches a New Program to Encourage Helmet Use
Thanks to the leadership and involvement of Dr. Michael Vassilyadi and ThinkFirst Ottawa, the City of Ottawa has launched a new program to encourage helmet use. To read more on the initiative click here. Congratulations to ThinkFirst Ottawa, Ottawa Public Health, Parks and Recreation and Cultural Services, for thinking first about Canadian Children and Youth.
In the news
!!!!TODAY MARCH 25, 2010 -Dr. Charles Tator, ThinkFirst Founder and concussion expert, will be answering questions on the NHL, headshots and concussions, live on-line for the Globe and Mail. Click here to follow the discussion or to submit your own questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press has just released a four part series on concussions. Part One: Heading for trouble: a concussion can mean it's safest to hang up the skates
Injury Alliance News Release
On March 4th, 2010 the Injury Alliance, comprised of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SmartRisk and ThinkFirst, issued a news release congratulating the Federal Government on its commitment to a national injury prevention strategy for children. Click here to read the full article. Click here to read the article in French.
Goings-On
If we were to choose a word to describe our local chapters it would be busy. From training new volunteers in Saskatoon to preparing for Brain Day in Kingston to gearing up for Operation Headway in PEI, our chapters continue to help prevent injury across Canada. To see what's going on in your community and to learn about ThinkFirst's work at the local level click on the "Chapters" tab at the top of the page.
ThinkFirst congratulates the International Ice Hockey Federation for Thinking First
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has created a video with a simple, but important message: there are no clean hits to the head in hockey. ThinkFirst Canada couldn't agree more with IIHF President Rene Fasel when he says "there is no such thing as a clean hit to the head." To read more and to view the video Preventing Hits to the Head and Concussions, click here.
News Release
ThinkFirst Canada / Pensez d'Abord Canada congratulates Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty, Quebec Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports Michelle Courchesne, MP and former NHL legend Ken Dryden, and Former NHL player Paul Miller for Thinking First.
Click here to read the full release.
ThinkFirst Brain Day 2010!
ThinkFirst Brain Day, the fun and interactive half-day neuroanatomy program for grade 5 and 6 students, was a massive success in 2009 and is gearing up for the 2010 program. Last year ThinkFirst made Brain Day history by expanding the program to more than 386 classrooms in 11 cities across Canada. ThinkFirst educated more than 10,000 elementary students, almost doubling the number of students reached in 2008. ThinkFirst wants to keep the 2009 Brain Day momentum going for 2010, to get Brain Day into your classroom, please click here. To read a report on the effectiveness of the program, please click here. If you have any questions please contact the National Injury Prevention Program Manager, Sandy Wells, at sandyw[at]thinkfirst.ca.
Brain Day is featured in our latest issue of BrainWaves, ThinkFirst Canada's newsletter. To download a copy click on BrainWaves.
Op-Ed: Let's put our heads together to stop concussions
ThinkFirst Canada founder, Dr. Charles H. Tator, recently wrote an opinion piece entitled "Let's put our heads together to stop concussions" in response to remarks made at the December 2009 Regina conference on concussions in hockey. The article was published in the Toronto Star on Tuesday December 29, 2009. Click here to read the full article. (Francais)
BCIRPU 2010 Teleconference Series
BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit has a new teleconference series ready for 2010. All sessions take place on the third Thursday of the month at 10am Pacific Time. The first session will be held on January 21st, 2010. For topic descriptions and speaker biographies click here. You may register for individual sessions or a whole bunch at once.
Ontario Trillium Foundation Funds Collaboration Study by the Four National Injury Prevention Organizations
The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, has announced that it will fund a study into new ways and means for collaborating among Canada's four national injury prevention organizations.
Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK Foundation, and ThinkFirst Canada, the study's co-sponsors, seek 'a game changer' that will build their capacity as individual organizations to promote what works in preventing life altering injuries and injury-related deaths. To read more click here for English or here for French.
Concussion Education and Awareness Program
Joe Boland and the St. John's Minor Hockey Association in Newfoundland in participation with ThinkFirst Canada and ThinkFirst Newfoundland put together a Concussion Education and Awareness program that took place on December 15, 2009. Coaches, trainers, parents, and sports organizations received valuable information on the prevention, recognition, and treatment of concussion in sport. A big thank you goes out to Sgt. Joe Boland, Jack Casey, Nancy King, Dr. Fallah Maroun, Dr. Charles Tator, Andrew McKim, and Fran Kirby. For more information click here.
Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport
The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine recently published the Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport following the 3rd international Conference on Concussion in Sport held November 2008 in Zurich. Please click below to download the PDF version of the article as well as the accompanying slides. For more information, please visit the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine's website at www.cjsportmed.com
Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport
Concussion in Sport PowerPoint Presentation
Announcing ThinkFirst Canada's New President, Mr. Jay A. Lefton
ThinkFirst is delighted to announce the election of Mr. Jay A. Lefton as President of ThinkFirst Canada. Jay, a senior partner in the Toronto office of Ogilvy Renault LLP, has been a longtime champion of ThinkFirst and child and youth injury prevention as a board and executive committee member. Jay is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation.
Jay’s vision for ThinkFirst includes growing brand recognition at the grassroots level by standardizing our programs, messaging, and look as well as drawing on new technologies to broaden our audience, most notably to include younger more tech-savvy generations. Jay wants to draw favourable attention towards those enterprises which are incorporating injury prevention guidelines into their corporate strategy, and will be calling upon governments at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to lead by example and enact policies and legislative reform which will underscore and implement key elements of a strategy focussed on the importance of injury prevention.
“I am very excited to lead an organization with such an important mission and one that’s close to my heart.” says Lefton. “I’m proud to be associated with Dr. Charles Tator and his vision for a future free of preventable injuries. I look forward to the work ahead.”
Jay also believes ThinkFirst should take an active lead in encouraging helmet use, advocating for helmet use and encouraging public debate and awareness. Given ThinkFirst’s expertise, and mandate, we are natural leaders in the sector on this important and growing issue.Waterloo Concussion Workshop October 31, 2009
ThinkFirst Canada was in Waterloo on Saturday October 31, 2009 from 9AM-1PM at the Forbes Room at RIM Park for a concussion workshop. Leading experts shared the latest information about concussion recognition, prevention and return to play strategies. This important workshop reached out to trainers, coaches, teachers, therapists, players and parents. By all accounts, it was a great success.
Welcome to our New Site Not Just a Pretty New Face
If you were a frequent visitor to the old ThinkFirst site, you'll notice a few changes. In addition to the fresh new look, information is now easier to access, more interactive, and we've added videos to enhance your experience. Were very excited not only by our cleaner, leaner appearance, but we are confident this new website will improve our ability to reach more people with our injury prevention work. We look forward to hearing your feedback, so please click here to drop us a line with your comments.Thank you to the fantastic team at Cundari in Toronto for their work on our new site!
Which Helmet for Which Activity
Special thanks to SmartCentres for making these important advertisements possible!
ThinkFirst - Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion Safe Sport Helmet Initiative
In 2007, the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion selected ThinkFirst to administer a two-year, $400 000 province-wide helmet give-away program. ThinkFirst Canada is proud to announce that the third and final phase of the initiative has been successfully completed. During this final phase coupons with a $25 value were distributed to individual children and families identified as facing financial constraints to purchase a sport helmet. As of December 2008, 2216 coupons had been redeemed. Further, over 5400 helmets had been distributed for 8 different sports in the second phase of the MHP-ThinkFirst Ontario Safe Sport Helmet Initiative. From Thunder Bay to Windsor, community recreation programs are now equipped to keep their kids safe with this important protective gear. Thank you to the 36 Public Health Units who partnered with ThinkFirst to distribute the coupons and to the retailers who accepted the coupons from the public. The Safe Sport Helmet Initiative was launched in August 2007 in concert with the Provincial Injury Prevention Strategy. To learn more, please click here.
Testimonials:
Thank you very much!!!!!! We received the helmets yesterday. Great timing as we are in the midst of putting together an event for the public in April and they will be put to good use!
- Joanne Somlai, Sport for the Disabled Lambton
Please accept this note as a measure of our appreciation for the 28 youth and pre-school helmets that arrived today!... Our YMCA child care and recreation programs serve hundreds of children each year and we will all feel much safer knowing that we are doing our part to protect children who are participating in our activities.
- Linda Hunter, General Manager, Children's YMCA Northumberland
Award Winners Announced at 2009 AGM
At ThinkFirst’s June Annual General Meeting, we were pleased to present six awards to exceptional volunteers who are celebrated for their immense contributions to promoting child and youth injury prevention across Canada throughout 2008. ThinkFirst presented three Awards of Excellence, with gratitude to Michelle Gregory-Brooks, Tyler Keith, and Normand Newberry, one Public Education and Awareness Award to Sally Turney and Aviva Canada, and two Howard Perlmutter Awards for Distinguished Service to Dr. Karen Johnston and Paul Montador.
Michelle Gregory-Brooks the hardworking coordinator for ThinkFirst’s Hamilton Chapter is celebrated for her vision, hard work, and enthusiasm that has helped grow the Hamilton Chapter in 2008 with lots planned for 2009. Though new to the ThinkFirst family, she has already made a real impact in the Hamilton region through local initiatives and partnerships as well as bringing national programs like Brain Day to her community.
Normand Newberry has been a long time ThinkFirst board member and is currently the President of Pensez d’Abord Quebec. We celebrate and thank him for his many years of service.
Tyler Keith is has been the sole VIP for ThinkFirst Manitoba since its development in 1995. He has spoken to tens of thousands of children and youth throughout the province about the importance of injury prevention by sharing his personal story. ThinkFirst extends our heartfelt thanks to Tyler for his integral role in disseminating our life-saving message through schools and the broader community in the province of Manitoba.
Thank you to Sally Turney, together with the hundreds of Aviva volunteers who have rolled up their sleeves to help with our important cause in numerous ways from fundraising to marketing, to staffing booths at community events. We are grateful for Aviva’s tremendous work which has allowed us to reach thousands more Canadians.
Dr. Karen Johnston’s vision, leadership and focus helped ThinkFirst Canada grow and thrive as the first president to follow founder Dr. Charles Tator. Karen’s leadership helped elevate ThinkFirst’s prominence in Canada and internationally and we are ever grateful for her expert guidance during her two year tenure as President.
Paul Montador has provided ThinkFirst Canada with steadfast advice as one our longest standing board and executive committee members. His dedication to the cause of injury prevention and his leadership as chair of many ThinkFirst committees over the years has been vital to the growth and success of the organization.
Dr. Charles Tator Annual Lecture Series on Injury Prevention
To mark 15 years of brain and spinal cord injury prevention, and in particular to honour the immense contribution to the field made by our Founding President Dr. Charles Tator, ThinkFirst Canada has established the Dr. Charles Tator Annual Lecture Series on Injury Prevention. This lectureship series will tackle important issues in the field, similar to the valuable Summit on Head Protection ThinkFirst presented at the 2007 CIPSPC on the state of head injury and protection in Canada. During this full-day symposium, a distinguished panel of 10 experts took 130 participants through issues from incidence reporting and research to legislation and risk behaviours. We look forward to many more years of notable topics and speakers in what it sure to become a renowned lecture series