32 Years of Caring for Children Injury Prevention 32 Years of Caring for Children

The Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute is located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts and serves all of New England and Bermuda.

Our Mission Our mission is to care for children and families who are victims of trauma, help keep children from getting hurt and to find better treatments, recoveries and injury prevention strategies through research.

DO YOU KNOW? What kills more children ages 1-14 than all diseases combined in the U.S.? 2. What causes serious lifelong disabilities for thousands of children? 3. What can be done to stop the deaths and disability of children every year?

The # 1 Killer of Children Automobile Crashes Drowning Unintentional Injury The # 1 Killer of Children Automobile Crashes Drowning Severe Burns/ Fire Child Abuse Suffocation/SIDS Falls Many other injuries The answer to the first two questions is unintentional injuries. Injuries from motor vehicle crashes, drowning, fire and severe burns, child abuse, suffocation, sudden infant death syndrome, falls and many other types of injuries. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 2012 Vital Signs: Unintentional Injury Deaths Among Persons Aged 0–19 Years — United States, 2000–2009 www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm61e0416a1.htm

The Problem Every day in the United States, two dozen children die from an injury that was not intended. Such tragedy often leaves families broken apart and changes the lives of those left behind.

children in the United States are injured and live with the Injury deaths, however, are only part of the picture. Each year, millions of children in the United States are injured and live with the consequences of those injuries. These children may face disability and chronic pain that limit their ability to perform age-appropriate everyday activities over their lifetime.

The Good News we know and work together to prevent These deaths and injuries need not occur because they often result from predictable events. The good news is that we have solutions that work to prevent child injury. The challenge is to apply what we know and work together to prevent these unnecessary tragedies to children, families, and communities. 2012 National Action Plan for Child Injury Prevention An Agenda to Prevent Injuries and Promote the Safety of Children and Adolescents in the United States 2012 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Injury Prevention and Control The good news is, however, that these injuries and deaths don’t have to occur. We have solutions that work. We have the cure! The challenge is to apply what we know and work together to prevent these tragedies.

Education, Awareness and Communication It’s not possible to eliminate all injury from childhood. It is possible to reduce the number of deaths and severe injuries. Education is a primary tool in reducing death and disability. Awareness of risks and situations that are known to lead to injury and Communication of injury prevention knowledge to children, parents and caregivers is a proven way to reduce injury and deaths. The best tools we have are education, awareness and communication…… This 12 year old was fortunate that someone told him about wearing a bike helmet. It saved his life! Now he’s helping others learn to be safe.

What can you and your club do? Educate your community about childhood injury risks. Parents, caregivers, child care workers, emergency first responders, police and fire workers, pediatricians, adults who operate motor vehicles and everyone who rides bicycles or walks along the street. The more information about safety that is in your community, the less likely it is that a child will be seriously injured. What can you and your club do? Be educators. Provide parents, day care workers, babysitters, grandparents, pediatricians, EMT’s, anyone who operates a motor vehicle or walks down the street with information about how to avoid risks. The more information that is in your community, the less likely it is that a child will be seriously injured.

Resources Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Institute (KPTI) provides educational materials and programs that you and your clubs can use to raise awareness about childhood injury in your community. The materials, programs and shipping are free.

How to get injury prevention materials Website: www.kpti.org Community Programs For more information about our programs and to order materials, go to our website www.kpti.org and click on Community Programs in the left hand menu.

We have the solution to preventing childhood injuries, let’s let everyone know!