Safe Kids Eastside Offers Essential Safety Tips for Summer

KIRKLAND, Wash., May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Safe Kids Eastside, a newly established coalition for child safety and injury prevention, was recently formed in partnership with several trusted community organizations.

Safe Kids Eastside is a local coalition of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization dedicated to protecting children from unintentional injury – the No. 1 cause of death to children in the United States. As a local resource for parents, Safe Kids Eastside strives to reach families with information and programs that help protect kids by working in partnership with safety-focused organizations and sharing information across the non-profit's network of national and global coalitions.

Members of the Safe Kids Eastside coalition include the Brain Injury Association of Washington State, Olympic Physical Therapy, Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigations, King County Fire District 45, King County Emergency Medical Services, Kirkland Police Department, Car Safe Kids and Northshore School District. Partners include the Redmond Police Department, Pediatric Associates, Virginia Mason, Snohomish County Fire District 7 and more.

Safe Kids Eastside will focus primarily on preventing pedestrian, child passenger and sports related injuries, which are all leading causes of emergency room visits among children in East King County.

As the summer trauma season approaches, now is the perfect time for families to review their safety plans to protect kids from injuries, beyond the inevitable scrapes, bruises and bumps brought on by summer activities.

Safe Kids Eastside recommends following these "Safer in 7" tips:

• Nationally, about 73 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly. Jiggle your kids' car seat, and tighten it up if it moves more than 1 inch at the base.
• Every week, a child dies from toppling furniture. Secure TVs and furniture that could tip over.
• Make sure to replace batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors every year, and replace these devices every 10 years. Check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms to make sure they can be heard, and ensure everyone in the home recognizes them and knows what to do when they sound.
• Every 8 minutes, a child goes to the ER for medicine poisoning. Keep an eye on more than just medicine cabinets. Are there pills in your purse or is medication sitting on countertops?
• Poison control centers receive daily calls about children popping easy-to-swallow batteries in their mouths. Search for coin-sized battery buttons, like the ones that come in musical greeting cards or remote controls, and remove them from children's reach.
• Sports are a great way for kids to keep healthy, but there's always a risk of injury. Make sure your kids' coaches have concussion or safety training.
• Make note of when you're most likely to be distracted and challenge yourself to keep focus. Take action against distraction. Distraction impacts driving, walking, bath time and just about everything else.

Safe Kids Eastside is proudly led by EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, which acts as the coalition's lead agency. EvergreenHealth's primary mission is to advance the health of the communities it serves, through high quality, safe, compassionate and cost-effective health care, making it an ideal partner for Safe Kids Eastside.

To learn more about Safe Kids Eastside and keeping kids safe from preventable injuries, visit www.safekids.org or write to [email protected].  

About EvergreenHealth
EvergreenHealth, a public hospital district and community-based healthcare organization established in 1972, offers a breadth of services and programs that is among the most comprehensive in the region. More than 950 physicians provide clinical excellence within more than 80 specialties, including cardiac, oncology, surgical care, orthopedics, a neuroscience institute, women's and children's services, hospice care, pulmonary care, a sleep disorders center and home care services.  EvergreenHealth serves more than 400,000 residents in its primary service area of northern King and southern Snohomish counties with EvergreenHealth Primary Care, a network of primary and urgent care practices, and its main hospital campus in Kirkland, Wash. EvergreenHealth also provides emergency care at two sites; its main hospital campus and the EvergreenHealth Redmond Medical Center.  In addition to clinical care, EvergreenHealth offers extensive community health outreach and education programs, anchored by EvergreenHealth Nurse Navigators & Healthline, a 24/7 nurse consultation service. For more information, visit www.evergreenhealth.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kay Taylor
EvergreenHealth
425.899.2604
[email protected]

Kristi Clough
Firmani + Associates Inc.
206.443.9357
[email protected]

SOURCE EvergreenHealth