The Burn Institute Director of Operations, Benjamin Hemmings (left), speaks to the club about the Institute's programs like Camp Beyond the Scars (upper right) and support groups for adult survivors of burn injuries (lower right)
For 50 years, the Burn Institute has been helping individuals who suffered burn injuries recover and has also developed educational resources and services to prevent burn injuries from happening. Burn Institute Director of Operations Brian Hemmings spoke at our December 1, 2022 meeting to outline the range of projects the Burn Institute oversees. The Institute hosts camps like Camp Beyond the Scars to help young people aged 8-17 who are affected by burns succeed on their healing journey. Through support groups, the Institute connects survivors who suffered a recent burn injury with those who are farther from their injuries to instill hope and share strategies for coping with the injury. Survivors of burn injuries and their families also receive support during treatment and recovery with parking passes, lodging, and medical equipment funded by the Institute.
The Institute offers burn and fire prevention programs like the Fire Safe Kid program in schools, emergency preparedness training, and education of parents to prevent scald injuries, which represent nearly 40% of burn injuries in young children. To ensure safe maintenance of smoke detectors, seniors (62+) can apply to have Institute staff change batteries in their detectors free of charge. Click HERE for the application.