Shriners Hospitals for Children Reaffirms Commitment to Burn Prevention through Annual Campaign

TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Feb. 3-9, 2013 is Burn Awareness Week, and during this week, Shriners Hospitals for Children^® will begin its annual burn prevention campaign. This year's focus is on teaching children to "Be Burn Aware," especially at home. The effort will include materials for children, as well as both general awareness and scald prevention information for parents and other concerned adults.  Scald injuries are one of the most prevalent, and preventable, types of burn injuries occurring in homes. Information and materials pertaining to the effort can be found on the health care system's website dedicated to burn awareness and prevention, www.burnawareness.org.

Homes are the sites of thousands of burn injuries to children every year, including scalds and fire-related injuries. Many of these incidents could have been easily prevented by following and implementing some basic safety tips.

"At Shriners Hospitals for Children, preventing burn injuries and providing burn awareness education is a concerted, continuous effort," said Kenneth Guidera, M.D., chief medical officer, Shriners Hospitals for Children. "In 2013, our campaign, 'Be Burn Aware,' focuses on teaching children ways to avoid burn injuries at home, with a particular emphasis on scalds. Scald injuries account for a large percentage of pediatric burn injuries, and many of them are preventable."

The campaign again uses two popular and child-friendly characters to showcase and share our messages: Boots and Brewster – a caped, cuddly bear and a googly-eyed teapot. In the materials, the pair leads children through the various rooms of a house, pointing out dangers, and how to easily correct or avoid them.

"Shriners Hospitals for Children is committed to improving the lives of children," said Richard Kagan, M.D., chief of staff, Shriners Hospitals for Children — Cincinnati and member of the physician executive team. "Many burn injuries that occur in the home are easily preventable; we hope that our ongoing awareness and prevention campaigns will reduce the incidence of these injuries."

Previous years' efforts have emphasized prevention of gasoline and gasoline-related burn and scald injuries.

Shriners Hospitals for Children encourages everyone concerned with keeping children safe to visit www.burnawareness.org for important burn prevention tips and information on how to order the free materials, some of which are available in both English and Spanish.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. The 22 facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico provide advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Contact: 
Fabiana Lowe |Shriners Hospitals for Children
(813) 281-7164 | [email protected]  

SOURCE Shriners Hospitals for Children