by Sarah Gard Lazarus sarah.lazarus@pemaweb.com
Childhood injury remains the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 19 in the US. To address this problem, a multidisciplinary group of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta physicians and staff from the departments of trauma, emergency medicine, advocacy, and primary care came together to form Children’s Injury Prevention Program (CHIPP) in January 2016. CHIPP’s mission is to provide a multidisciplinary approach to reduce childhood injury, both unintentional and intentional in the greater Atlanta area through evidence-based injury prevention programs, research, education, and community outreach. CHIPP is a CHOA-based organization that has grown rapidly as a pediatric injury prevention coalition since it’s inception and includes representatives from multiple specialties at all three of CHOA’s campuses. In addition, CHIPP partners with Safe Kids, Georgia Department of Public Health, Center for Disease Control, Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory, and the Injury Free Coalition for Kids.
The coalition is doing active work in motor vehicle safety, safe sleep, non-accidental trauma, and recently received a grant to establish a Safety Store at the Scottish Rite campus. This store will provide low-cost safety equipment, including car seats, bike helmets, and smoke detectors to families of patients. An injury prevention specialist will staff the store, and also work as a car seat technician, able to inspect car seats that were purchased on site.
As summer continues, CHIPP thanks you for reminding families of the following safety information and tips:
– Drowning is the leading cause of injury death in children ages 1 through 4
-Nothing is as effective as one-on-one supervision in drowning prevention: stay within arms reach
-If you have a pool, make sure that there is a four-sided fence surrounding it. The fence should be at least four feet tall and should have a lock on it.
-Consider taking a CPR and first-aid class
-At parties, appoint a parent as the designated “watcher”. This person should abstain form drinking, not have their phone in hand, and keep their focus on the children in the pool. They should wear a sign that establishes them as the “Water Watcher”
-Empty collapsible baby pools after each use. Children can drown in as little as an inch of water
-Anytime you go to a beach or the lake, place your child in a life jacket
Thank you for keeping children safe in our community!
PEMCONNECT 