Media Contacts:
Valerie Foster
Harrison Edwards PR/914-242-0010
vfoster@harrison-edwardspr.com
                        -or-
Ted Herman
Hudson Health Plan/914-372-2204
therman@hudsonhealthplan.org

 

CELEBRATE THE START OF SUMMER WITH FREE BICYCLE INSPECTIONS AND SAFETY INSTRUCTION FOR CHILDREN AT HUDSON HEALTH PLAN’S BICYCLE SAFETY RODEO IN KINGSTON ON JUNE 26TH


Parents and Children Can Learn How to Avoid Bike-Related Accidents and Injuries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2011

(Tarrytown, NY)…The last day of school is almost here, and bike riding is a great way for children to enjoy the outdoors and get exercise this summer. Now parents can make sure their children’s bicycles are in good working order and their children’s helmets are strapped on properly, thanks to a free Bicycle Safety Rodeo sponsored by Hudson Health Plan. The event is set for Sunday, June 26th, from noon to 3 p.m., at Deitz Stadium/Forsyth Nature Center in Kingston, NY. Earlier that day, the 6th annual Tour de Kingston/Ulster will take place at the Forsyth Nature Center, giving the community a full day of outdoor bicycle-oriented activity.

Children and their parents will receive free bicycle inspections and personal instruction on the rules of the road, such as the correct hand signals to use when turning and how to obey traffic signs. Instructors also will demonstrate how to properly adjust a child’s helmet for maximum protection. Under New York State Law, children younger than 14 are required to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. After the inspection, the kids can ride their bikes — with helmets on! — on a mini course, where they will be expected to follow traffic signs, use turn signals, and keep an eye out for potential dangers.

To add to the fun, Kingston’s classic hits radio station WBPM-FM is sending air personality Randy “Ran-Man” Taylor to play great music and give away prizes throughout the Bicycle Safety Rodeo.

Hudson, a community-based not-for-profit health organization, sponsors a Bicycle Safety Rodeo at the start of summer each year. “The health and safety of children in the community are an important part of our work,” explains Mark Santiago, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Hudson. He notes that each year more than 500,000 people – half of them younger than 15 — are treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide for bike-related injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Mr. Santiago adds that the Bicycle Safety Rodeo is scheduled for the same day as the Tour de Kingston to encourage more people to learn about bicycle safety. “We’ll be inviting parents who sign up for the Tour de Kingston to participate in the Rodeo, too,” he says.

For more information about the Hudson Health Plan Bicycle Safety Rodeo, please call Robert Vivolo, Hudson Health Plan’s Director of Communications & Community Relations, at (914) 372-2082.

Hudson Health Plan Bicycle Safety Rodeo

Sunday, June 26, 2011
12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Deitz Stadium
Forsyth Nature Center
Kingston, NY

About Hudson Health Plan

Hudson Health Plan is a community-based not-for-profit health care organization that provides state-sponsored Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus insurance coverage to over 100,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hudson uses every government dollar it receives to fulfill its mission, which is “to promote and provide access to excellent health services for all people.” Hudson improves the health of its members and the communities in which they live through its innovations in care coordination, and by supporting over 5,000 local health providers. In both 2009 and 2010, Hudson achieved the highest quality incentive scores of any Medicaid plan in New York State. It also has earned the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among Medicaid Managed Care members in the Hudson Valley region every year since 2003.

Hudson Health Plan is based in Tarrytown, N.Y. Visit Hudson on the Web at www.hudsonhealthplan.org, and at www.facebook.com/hudsonhealthplan.

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