about us

ThinkFirst Nova Scotia Chapter is a hospital-based injury prevention program in the Division of Neurosurgery at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, directed by Dr. Simon Walling and Dr. David Clarke and coordinated by Lynne Fenerty.

For more information please visit:
Visit the ThinkFirst Canada website www.thinkfirst.ca
Neuro web site http://neurosurgery.medicine.dal.ca/programs.htm

2010 Think First Injury Prevention Program.

Program Summary/Overview:

The Nova Scotia Chapter is a Canadian leader in the development of innovative brain and spinal cord injury prevention initiatives and continues to deliver brain and spinal cord injury prevention, concussion management, and helmet education programs for schools, community groups, and professionals throughout Nova Scotia.

Advocacy efforts persisted this year for helmets and concussion management for all seasons and all sports and activities. We were active in efforts to legislate helmet use for alpine skiing and snowboarding in Nova Scotia, and continue to work with others towards expanding mandatory helmet use by all ages when skating.

We continue to serve as a main referral base for information on injury prevention research, brain injury, and concussion, fulfilling many requests for support and resources throughout Nova Scotia and Canada. Multiple media interviews have been conducted by the team over the year on topics such as: helmet use, concussions, brain injuries, and neuro trauma.

Research

Grant funding from the Department of Health and Protection has enabled year two of The Canadian Injury Indicators Study and year one and two ofQualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Ski and Snowboard Helmet Use in Nova Scotia.

Research dissemination this year has yielded 7 abstracts (1 poster and 6 presentations) at conferences as well as 4 presentations at meetings.

Accomplishments:

Operation Headway: Noggin' Knowledge, a helmet enforcement and fines alternative education program, designed and delivered by Nurosurgery/ThinkFirst Nova Scotia since 2004 has recieved international exposure. Plans are now underway for ThinkFirst Canada, thanks to work from Nova Scotia and PEI, to make this program available across Canada.

Click here for more information on Operation Headway.

• 2010 World's Poster - Operation Headway-Noggin' Knowledge: A Comprehensive Bike Promotion Program

We accommodated a total of eight university student placements this year. Five unfunded placements met course requirements for Nursing, Health Promotion and Neuroscience. Three summer students were funded by the Department of Health Promotion and Protection.

Concussion cards have been updated and redesigned for dissemination throughout Nova Scotia. The printing of concussion cards was made possible by an IWK Community Grant received in partnership with the Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia.

Future Directions

• Research dissemination with a strong emphasis on publication
• Injury prevention capacity building in other Nova Scotian communities
• Ongoing mentorship programs for clinicians and injury prevention specialists
• Concussion card dissemnication and education to emergency departments, doctors and community partners in Nova Scotia

Program Goals

• Provide leadership in injury prevention programming and research
• Advocate for a provincial injury surveillance system
• Advocacy for injury prevention

Team Members

Directors: Dr. Simon Walling, Neurosurgeon and Dr. David Clarke, Neurosurgeon
Research Manager: Lynne Fenerty
Research Coordinator: Ginette Thibault-Halman
Speakers Bureau: Joe Lively, injury survivor and Paula Dunn, RN (IWK)

Team Collaborators

• ThinkFirst Canada
• Department of Health Promotion and Protection
• Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia (advisory board member)
• Nova Scotia Trauma Advisory Committee (advisory board member)
• Injury Free Nova Scotia (advisory board member)
• Nova Scotia Trauma Program
• Nova Scotia Ski Hill Operators
• Emergency Health Services
• RCMP and Municipal Police
• Canadian Paraplegic Association
• Dalhousie School of Nursing
• Dalhousie School of Health Promotion
• Dalhousie Athletics Department

 

As Well in Recent Years

• Policy paper titled: Non-legislated Sport and Recreation Helmet Policy Paper for Nova Scotia
• In partnership with Department of Health and Protection we've implemented a helmet rewards / helmets for families of need program with RCMP and municipal police in Nova Scotia: Operation Headway - Noggin' Knowledge
• Developed the slogan: "Helmets work...What a perk!"
• 2009 - Present ThinkFirst Nova Scotia together with Dalhouse University visit grade nine classrooms with brain awareness and injury prevention presentations for Brain Day.
• 2009, the Division of Neurosurgery at Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre teamed up with partners to promote the use of helmets in skating at ice rinks and at schools.
• in 2007-2008 we partnered with the Nova Scotia office of Health Promotion and Protection and received additional resources for the delivery of Nova Scotia's Helmet initiatives. This initiative included increasing education, awareness and enforcement of Nova Scotia's helmet legislation with Nova Scotia Police departments and community partners.
• 2007 - We reached roughly 110, 875 people! We saw 1800 kids through school presentations; 650 community members and professionals through our concussion programs; 2075 people came to see us and our display at community events; we issued 5500 helmet rewards and 800 helmets to children in need; and our float in the Parade of Lights reached 100,000.

 

what we do

We respond to many community and professional groups' requests for presentations on brain and spinal cord injury prevention, concussion management and helmet programs. We adapt our programs to suit our audience, and present to everyone from preschoolers through to the golden ages. We partner with many Injury Prevention groups in Nova Scotia to deliver of ThinkFirst programs.

success stories

• 2010 World's Poster - Operation Headway-Noggin' Knowledge: A Comprehensive Bike Promotion Program.
  

fundraising initiatives

ThinkFirst cookbooks, $10.00 each available at community events.

We're thrilled by donations of any size. Help us spread the ThinkFirst message! Please donate to the Nova Scotia chapter by clicking here, be sure to note in the instructions that funds are to be directed to the Nova Scotia chapter. Alternatively, you can send a cheque care of the National Office at Suite 314-750 Dundas St. W, Toronto, ON, M6J 3S3. Please note on your cheque that the donation should be directed to the Nova Scotia Chapter.

You can also send donations to the QEII Foundation "Neurosurgery Injury Prevention Program":

T: (902) 473-7932

Toll Free: 1-888-428-0220

F: (902) 473-4421

advisory board

Dr. Simon Walling, Neurosurgeon, Co-Director ThinkFirst Nova Scotia
Dr. David Clarke, Neurosurgeon, Co-Director ThinkFirst Nova Scotia
Lynne Fenerty, R.N, Coordinator ThinkFirst Nova Scotia
Paula Dunn, R.N. IWK Health Centre Coordinator ThinkFirst Nova Scotia
Ginette Thibault-Halman, R.N., Coordinator, ThinkFirst Nova Scotia
Joe Lively, Voice of Injury Prevention (VIP), Brain Injury Association of Nova Scotia
Randy Reede, Voice of Injury Prevention (VIP), Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA)