Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 2, 2021

16 BRAIN By Andrea Nagel A hit to the head can be painful. It can also be deadly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 150 Americans die every day from injuries related to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S., but it can often be prevented with the proper use of a helmet. “Our injury prevention department looks at trends in trauma-related accidents seen here at Kootenai Health and creates programs around those trends,” said Wendy Ferguson, RN, injury prevention coordinator. “Our injury prevention programs aim to educate our community on ways to decrease and prevent the risk of serious injury or death, through education.” What canprevent a brain injury? In 2020, bicycle, motorcycle and ATV injuries accounted for nearly 15 percent of trauma cases at Kootenai Health. Through community education events and other outreach efforts, Wendy and her Injury Prevention team are working to decrease the number of trauma injuries in our community. Discussing helmet safety is one of the many ways they are doing this. “A helmet should be worn for all wheel sports, biking, skating, motorcycling and riding ATVs, and snow sports such as snowboarding and skiing. It is important to wear the right helmet for the right sport,” Wendy said. “A bicycle helmet won’t protect you from an ATV crash; they aren’t rated for the high rates of speed and impacts seen PROTECT YOUR fromSerious Injury Wendy Ferguson, RN