Nurses Promote Safety and Prevention in the Community

Helmet Safety Checks and Blood Pressure Screenings Provided during “Music at the Monument” Concert, Friday July 29

Washington, D.C., July 27, 2016 – Nurses from MedStar Washington Hospital Center will be on the Washington Monument grounds on Friday, July 29, to provide hypertension screening, stroke education, helmet safety demonstrations and community education about summer safety and concussion risks.

The Hospital Center informational booth will be a part of the “Music at the Monument” concert series that takes place at the Sylvan Theatre from 5 to 8 p.m. The twice-monthly concerts are part of the National Park Service’s “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” campaign.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center nurses are working with ThinkFirst Greater Washington Area to make certain Washington D.C.–area families understand such risks as bicycling without a helmet, diving into shallow water and other activities that could lead to concussion, disability or death.

“Summer is a time of increased outdoor activity, and we hope to get everyone to ‘ThinkFirst’ so they avoid preventable injury,” notes Sarah McLaughlin, BSN, RN, a Hospital Center nurse on the 2H neuro intensive care unit.

Injury is the leading cause of death and disability among children, teens and young adults. The most frequent causes of these injuries are motor vehicle crashes, violence, falls, sports and recreation. ThinkFirst is dedicated to informing families about simple prevention steps such as wearing a seat belt, reducing distractions while driving, wearing a helmet on a bicycle and taking other safety precautions can prevent many serious injuries from occurring. 

(From left) Nurses Maraki Endale, Katherine Gitlin, Shirley Dewitt and Kevin Murphy prepare for the “Music at the Monument” event on Friday, July 29.

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MedStar Washington Hospital Center is a 926-bed, major teaching and research hospital. It is the largest private, not-for-profit hospital in the nation’s capital, among the 100 largest hospitals in the nation and a major referral center for treating the most complex cases. U.S.News & World Report consistently ranks the hospital’s cardiology and heart surgery program as one of the nation’s best. It also is a respected top facility in the areas of cancer, diabetes & endocrinology, Ear, Nose & Throat, gastroenterology & GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, pulmonology and urology. It operates MedSTAR, a nationally-verified level I trauma center with a state-of-the-art fleet of helicopters and ambulances, and also operates the region’s only adult Burn Center.