Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center sponsors ThinkFirst Arizona, the state chapter of the National ThinkFirst Injury Prevention Foundation. ThinkFirst is an award-winning, researched-based, comprehensive national brain and spinal cord injury prevention program. Barrow has been designated as the Arizona training center for this program.
Throughout the United States and world, the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation (ThinkFirst Foundation) has chapters that provide ThinkFirst educational programs to schools and community groups. ThinkFirst chapters are based in medical centers, medical schools, doctors’ offices, or other health organizations.
Each chapter is required to be sponsored by a licensed physician. This sponsor advocates for the ThinkFirst Chapter and the importance of the educational programs. The sponsor also secures funding and support for the Chapter from his or her medical center, other local physicians, other health professionals, and the community.
The daily operations of the chapter and administration of its programs are usually conducted by a nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, health educator, medical auxiliary member, or other employee designated as the chapter director. Depending on the program's ambitions, this position can be part-time oversee a limited number of school visits each year or a full-time position responsible for conducting many school presentations throughout a community, county, or region.
The cost of operating a chapter depends on the ambition of the chapter director. Major expenses include the salary of the staff coordinator (referred to as the chapter director), speaker fees, and the initial investment in equipment (e.g., video, spine and skull models). It is helpful if the sponsoring medical center provides some or all of the chapter director's time as well as office space, computer, telephone, postage, photocopying, and travel expenses. In the absence of financial sponsorship from a medical center, funding must be secured through other means such as grants, donations, or fundraising events.
Starting a Chapter
Contact Request
Complete this contact request form and Barrow Prevention or the ResourceLink information and referral service will contact you.
Related Links
ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation
(Please note: This website may be of interest or information to you. This website is independent of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) and Barrow Neurological Institute. As such, Barrow and CHW do not endorse or sponsor this site, nor do we vouch for the any of the information contained within this site.)
