Baptist Pediatric Services
ThinkFirst Injury Prevention
The ThinkFirst Injury Prevention Program is a school-based program aimed at reducing injuries among children and adolescents by educating them about the consequences of high risk activities, teaching them appropriate safety strategies and fostering the development of critical thinking skills. ThinkFirst has chapters in 49 states, the District of Columbia and 35 International chapters in 11 countries, including a chapter at Baptist Memorial Health Care.

Baptist has participated in the ThinkFirst program since 1987, visiting about 180 Mid-South schools a year. Baptist’s participation in the program is made possible by a grant from the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation.

ThinkFirst was created by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in 1986 to help prevent brain and spinal cord injuries which permanently disable more than one million people in the United States each year. The 15-25-year-old age group is at greatest risk for these injuries, most of which are preventable and are caused by driving, bicycling, falls, motorcycling, violence, bullying, playing sports, diving and other activities young people participate in.

ThinkFirst delivers the message that young people can have a fun, exciting life without getting hurt if they use their minds to protect their bodies. Since brain and spinal cord injuries are among the most serious and most costly, ThinkFirst helps people understand the prevention, cause and results of injuries to the brain and spinal cord.

Components of the ThinkFirst Injury Prevention Program:
  • Basic anatomy and physiology of the brain and spinal cord through use of models
  • Discussion of causes of injuries and injury prevention strategies
  • Education through the use of a video focusing on decision making and risk taking
  • Presentation from a young injured person who has a brain or spinal cord injury


ThinkFirst partners with the National Coalition to Prevent Childhood Injury (National SAFE KIDS Campaign), the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, the National Brain Injury Foundation, the National Coordinating Council of Spinal Cord Injury, the American Medical Association’s National Adolescent Health Forum, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others.

For more information about Baptist’s ThinkFirst Injury Prevention Program, please call (901) 227-5322. For more information from ThinkFirst’s national office, please call (800) 844-6556, or visit ThinkFirst Web site.