Mother & Child Health Coalition

Helping every mother and child in the Kansas City area
to be healthy

PROGRAMS

Keeping children healthy includes keeping them injury free. Each year in the United States, nearly 15 million children age 14 and younger sustain injuries serious enough to require medical attention. Safe Kids Metro KC addresses ways to prevent those injuries and deaths.

• Safe Kids Metro KC, a program of Safe Kids Worldwide, began in December, 2004 and is hosted by Mother and Child Health Coalition. The service area is Jackson, Clay, Platte and Wyandotte Counties.
   
• The goal is to provide outreach about injury prevention to parents and children under 14 through education and service delivery. Behavior changes because of knowledge gained offer the greatest opportunity to assure success.
   
• Child passenger safety is the main focus of Safe Kids childhood injury prevention. SKMKC provides monthly child safety seat checks and installations (called Safe Kids Buckle Up), supports legislative initiatives regarding state child passenger safety laws, and participates in community education and outreach. For a list of car seat fitting stations in the KC metro area, click here: Kansas   Missouri

·     Safe Kids Metro KC hosts 32-hour National Standardized Child Passenger Safety trainings developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Participation in all course activities, successful performance on tests, and evaluation of hands-on skills is required for national certification.  

• Teaching children to be aware of risks in patterns of walking and areas of unsafe structures, sidewalks and roadways is also directed toward parents. Pedestrian safety activities build up to Safe Kids Walk This Way celebrations during International Walk to School Week in October.
   
• Home safety education covers many of the highest risk areas of children in our age cohort. Childproofing a home prevents falls, cuts, fires, burns and other household injuries to all members of the family.
   
• Education on bike safety as well as proper helmet protection will be offered through trainings developed by the Mid America Regional Council with support from Safe Kids Metro KC. Bike safety events are best led by trained professionals with bicycle experience to assure that the most up-to-date methods are being used.

Safe Kids Metro KC
Deb Bumgardner, Project Coordinator
(816) 283-6242 ext. 244
dbumgardner@mchc.net

Mother & Child Health Coalition is a proud sponsor of Safe Kids Metro KC. Learn more about Safe Kids at  www.safekids.org

LINKS:

Toy Safety Notice for 2007 from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: toysafety07.pdf

Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) report on Toy Safety:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/21/news/companies/dangerous_toys/index.htm?cnn=yes

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MCHCGKC is the consortium for Kansas City Healthy Start

6400 Prospect Ave., Suite 216, Kansas City, MO 64132

Phone (816) 283-6242 Fax (816) 283-0307