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Gibberish.
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October 21, 2021 at 9:52 pm PDTBy Kathryn Altena, MyNorthwest.com
King County is debating a repeal of its bike helmet law due to data that shows it is unequally enforced in communities of color and among unhoused individuals.
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UW Medicine’s Dr. Monica Vavilala noted in public comment that if the helmet law is repealed, “BIPOC communities will be more adversely effected because TBI is disproportionally represented in BIPOC communities. More Black and brown children and adults will die.”
“I know that preventing TBI is way more effective than treating TBI,” Vavilala said.
She says part of her work is to reduce the TBI burden in the region through a health equity lens, and she knows helmet enforcement is inequitable.
“You may wonder, how do I reconcile my pro-helmet, anti-brain injury, and anti-racist views into a constructive path forward? How can my comments help the board of health today? As an immediate step, I would humbly request the board of health urgently commission a third party to conduct a diverse, stakeholder engaged, and data-driven assessment of the genesis, current state, and impact of repealing the helmet law, with two outcomes in mind: safety and equity,” she suggested. “This work then would inform the intermediate and long-term goals and upstream strategies and tactics needed.”...
October 21, 2021 at 9:52 pm PDTBy Kathryn Altena, MyNorthwest.com
King County is debating a repeal of its bike helmet law due to data that shows it is unequally enforced in communities of color and among unhoused individuals.
...
UW Medicine’s Dr. Monica Vavilala noted in public comment that if the helmet law is repealed, “BIPOC communities will be more adversely effected because TBI is disproportionally represented in BIPOC communities. More Black and brown children and adults will die.”
“I know that preventing TBI is way more effective than treating TBI,” Vavilala said.
She says part of her work is to reduce the TBI burden in the region through a health equity lens, and she knows helmet enforcement is inequitable.
“You may wonder, how do I reconcile my pro-helmet, anti-brain injury, and anti-racist views into a constructive path forward? How can my comments help the board of health today? As an immediate step, I would humbly request the board of health urgently commission a third party to conduct a diverse, stakeholder engaged, and data-driven assessment of the genesis, current state, and impact of repealing the helmet law, with two outcomes in mind: safety and equity,” she suggested. “This work then would inform the intermediate and long-term goals and upstream strategies and tactics needed.”...