New program helps ensure Safety & Security of Child Car Seats
By Mel Fabrikant Tuesday, July 08, 2008, 06:08 PM EDT
Englewood Hospital Offers Area’s First Safe Kids Worldwide® Certified Fitting Station
Every year, thousands of babies and young children are killed or injured in car accidents due to the improper use of child seats and safety belts. To help ensure the safety and welfare of children traveling in cars, experts recommend that a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician makes sure that car seats are installed properly and securely. A free Child Seat Fitting Station is now offered at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
As part of Englewood Hospital’s new, monthly program, car seats will be inspected and fitted by Child Passenger Safety Technicians certified by Safe Kids Worldwide®, a non-profit and global network of organizations that aims to prevent accidental childhood injury that is endorsed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Englewood Hospital is the only hospital in Bergen County to have its Child Seat Fitting Station program certified by Safe Kids Worldwide®. Its certified technicians participate in continuing education programs and undergo re-certification every two years to ensure that they are up-to-date on the latest advances in safety seat innovation, changes in public safety regulations, and applicable automotive design trends.
“As many as four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly or misused,” said Phyllis Brown, Manager of Childbirth Education and Community Outreach. “The program’s goal is to help families understand the life-saving benefits of child safety seats and safety belts, and to ensure that safety seats and restraints are used properly. We’re not simply an installation service, we are educators.”
Englewood Hospital has helped parents in the community ensure that children’s car seats are correctly installed and used for almost a decade. However, with the addition of a Safe Kids Worldwide® Child Seat Fitting Station, the entire community can benefit from an enhanced program with nationally-certified expertise.
During the 20-minute orientation to car seat safety, family members will learn how to make sure the child and the car seat fit snugly in their car and how to ensure seatbelts are used appropriately. The car seat make and model also will be checked against the NHTSA database for possible safety recall.
“We teach them everything from how to install the car seat and harness straps to using the correct size seat from newborn to 8-years-old or 80 pounds,” said Joyce Jacobson, RN, Certified Childbirth Educator and Child Passenger Safety Technician for Englewood Hospital. “Proper car seat safety is not just good parenting, it’s the law in New Jersey.” Furthermore, as New Jersey law requires children from ages 8 to 18 who have outgrown booster seats to be restrained with safety belts, the program also educates parents how their children should wear their seat belts to avoid or minimize crash injuries.
Englewood Hospital’s technicians also are trained to install safety seats for children with special needs, including premature infants. “Often these children must be positioned differently to maintain safety in the automobile without exacerbating a delicate health condition,” said Jacobson.
Englewood Hospital offers its Child Seat Fitting Station every 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM. The program is free to the community. Registration is suggested, but walk-ins are welcome. Call (201) 894-3585 or (201) 894-3727 for information or to register.
About Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is a 520-bed, acute care, community-teaching hospital located in Englewood, New Jersey, and is affiliated with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. A leader in innovative services, Englewood Hospital offers a broad range of state-of-the-art, nationally and internationally recognized clinical programs including, The Leslie Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis Center, The New Jersey Institute for the Advancement of
Bloodless Medicine and Surgery, and The Heart and Vascular Institute of New Jersey. Additionally, the Medical Center has achieved twice MAGNET status - a prestigious distinction for extraordinary patient care achieved by only 4% of all U.S. hospitals - by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) of the American Nurses Association.
About Safe Kids Worldwide®
Safe Kids Worldwide® is a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. More than 450 coalitions in 16 countries bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families. Safe Kids Worldwide® was founded in 1987 as the National SAFE KIDS Campaign by Children’s National Medical Center with support from Johnson & Johnson. Safe Kids Worldwide® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C.
Every year, thousands of babies and young children are killed or injured in car accidents due to the improper use of child seats and safety belts. To help ensure the safety and welfare of children traveling in cars, experts recommend that a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician makes sure that car seats are installed properly and securely. A free Child Seat Fitting Station is now offered at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
As part of Englewood Hospital’s new, monthly program, car seats will be inspected and fitted by Child Passenger Safety Technicians certified by Safe Kids Worldwide®, a non-profit and global network of organizations that aims to prevent accidental childhood injury that is endorsed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Englewood Hospital is the only hospital in Bergen County to have its Child Seat Fitting Station program certified by Safe Kids Worldwide®. Its certified technicians participate in continuing education programs and undergo re-certification every two years to ensure that they are up-to-date on the latest advances in safety seat innovation, changes in public safety regulations, and applicable automotive design trends.
“As many as four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly or misused,” said Phyllis Brown, Manager of Childbirth Education and Community Outreach. “The program’s goal is to help families understand the life-saving benefits of child safety seats and safety belts, and to ensure that safety seats and restraints are used properly. We’re not simply an installation service, we are educators.”
Englewood Hospital has helped parents in the community ensure that children’s car seats are correctly installed and used for almost a decade. However, with the addition of a Safe Kids Worldwide® Child Seat Fitting Station, the entire community can benefit from an enhanced program with nationally-certified expertise.
During the 20-minute orientation to car seat safety, family members will learn how to make sure the child and the car seat fit snugly in their car and how to ensure seatbelts are used appropriately. The car seat make and model also will be checked against the NHTSA database for possible safety recall.
“We teach them everything from how to install the car seat and harness straps to using the correct size seat from newborn to 8-years-old or 80 pounds,” said Joyce Jacobson, RN, Certified Childbirth Educator and Child Passenger Safety Technician for Englewood Hospital. “Proper car seat safety is not just good parenting, it’s the law in New Jersey.” Furthermore, as New Jersey law requires children from ages 8 to 18 who have outgrown booster seats to be restrained with safety belts, the program also educates parents how their children should wear their seat belts to avoid or minimize crash injuries.
Englewood Hospital’s technicians also are trained to install safety seats for children with special needs, including premature infants. “Often these children must be positioned differently to maintain safety in the automobile without exacerbating a delicate health condition,” said Jacobson.
Englewood Hospital offers its Child Seat Fitting Station every 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM. The program is free to the community. Registration is suggested, but walk-ins are welcome. Call (201) 894-3585 or (201) 894-3727 for information or to register.
About Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is a 520-bed, acute care, community-teaching hospital located in Englewood, New Jersey, and is affiliated with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. A leader in innovative services, Englewood Hospital offers a broad range of state-of-the-art, nationally and internationally recognized clinical programs including, The Leslie Simon Breast Care and Cytodiagnosis Center, The New Jersey Institute for the Advancement of
Bloodless Medicine and Surgery, and The Heart and Vascular Institute of New Jersey. Additionally, the Medical Center has achieved twice MAGNET status - a prestigious distinction for extraordinary patient care achieved by only 4% of all U.S. hospitals - by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) of the American Nurses Association.
About Safe Kids Worldwide®
Safe Kids Worldwide® is a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. More than 450 coalitions in 16 countries bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families. Safe Kids Worldwide® was founded in 1987 as the National SAFE KIDS Campaign by Children’s National Medical Center with support from Johnson & Johnson. Safe Kids Worldwide® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C.
