Kudos to our very own Joan DePuy, RN, BCH's trauma outreach & injury prevention coordinator, from our partners at the Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA) and the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD).

Boulder Community Health takes the prevention of head injuries seriously in our community. Every month, DePuy presents at events with different groups of children, teachers and parents, talking about the importance of wearing a proper-fitting bike helmet and other injury prevention tips.

BCH recently received letters of thanks from two of our area partners.

"We have had the absolute privilege of having Joan DePuy come to Douglass Elementary this past month to teach about the importance of head trauma, awareness and prevention," wrote Mary Jo Barbeau of Douglass Elementary School in Boulder in a letter to Boulder Community Health.

"During the first visit, she demonstrated the importance of helmet safety and why it is so important to wear them. She used melons, actual helmets, models, and a video to help 7-8-year-olds understand her main points. All these methods are extremely successful with second graders. The following week, Joan taught about concussions and how to recognize symptoms and what to do in case of a concussion."

Teachers said Joan's personal stories helped the kids see the reality of the importance of head safety. "To hear this kind of information from other adults helps children learn with a new mindset as well as often on a deeper level. It is invaluable to us as educators to have community members that are willing to come in and teach about health and safety. When this is done at a young age, the impact can be far-reaching ... We are very grateful for this opportunity and working with such a delightful, passionate and knowledgeable teacher."

Lindsey Warren, the EFAA's children's program coordinator, recent wrote offering her thanks to BCH for helping to keep children in our area safer.

"Ms. DePuy has been working with the Children’s Program for the past two months at EFAA (Emergency Family Assistance Association) and the after school enrichment program to inform the children and their parents about safety and concussions. She has also been providing much-needed bicycle helmets to these families as well as necessary lessons," Warren wrote, "I cannot express how grateful I am to Ms. DePuy for her time and her service!"

"Through her, a conversation has been opened that we are able to continue even after she is gone. The children hold each other accountable when it comes to wearing their helmets. The parents have become more knowledgeable about how to keep their children safe. And we in the Children’s Program are able to keep the children safer. These attributes of safety are immeasurable and I cannot say enough how grateful I am to Ms. DePuy and her willingness to come and present for these families."

Way to go, Joan! And kudos to our Emergency Department managers for making head injury prevention a priority in our community.