[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1195-E1196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE INPATIENT REHABCARE TEAM AT THE VIRGINIA REGIONAL 
                             MEDICAL CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2009

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Inpatient 
RehabCare team at the Virginia Regional Medical Center for their safety 
education and outreach to Minnesota's youth. In addition to their 
outstanding work at the Medical Center, the RehabCare team educates 
elementary school students throughout Virginia of the tremendous health 
risks associated with riding a bicycle without a helmet.
  They recognize the importance of educating our youth during their 
formative years--at the age when they are most receptive--of the 
possible life-altering brain injuries that could result from not 
wearing a helmet while riding a bicycle.
  In particular, Madam Speaker, I wish to laud the Inpatient RehabCare 
team in their most recent outreach to fourth grade students at 
Roosevelt Elementary School in Virginia.
  Each fourth grade class participated in a safety awareness session 
where they learned about the lasting consequences of brain injuries and 
the importance of wearing bicycle helmets.
  Students received real-life simulations of what their lives would be 
like with such brain injuries, demonstrating the difficulty of everyday 
tasks and making a lasting impression on the students on the importance 
of taking safety precautions when riding a bicycle.
  Such hands-on scenarios--combined with the team's helmet safety 
information and their direct experience with assisting patients who 
have suffered brain trauma--provided these elementary students with 
invaluable life lessons in bicycle safety and the severity of brain 
injuries.
  It is vital that we teach our children about the many benefits of 
active and healthy transportation and recreation through cycling; and 
safety education must go hand-in-hand with these lessons.
  The RehabCare team's effective outreach to children is noteworthy and 
ought to be replicated throughout the nation. Their work--and the work 
of similar groups in the United States--is deserving of our recognition 
and continued support.
  I thank the Virginia Medical Center's Inpatient RehabCare team for 
their inspiring leadership and dedicated work to instill in our 
children a lifetime of bicycle safety habits.

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