Safe Kids New Jersey

Got Kids in Your Life? Then This Program is for You!

SafeKidsNJ — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:21:54 +0000

Keep Your Head in the Game 2012:

Concussion Prevention, Treatment and Return to Life

“Keep Your Head in the Game 2012” was created for parents, teen athletes, coaches, educators, athletic trainers, and recreation staff, as well as school nurses, health care providers and EMS personnel, to heighten awareness of the importance of proper assessment, monitoring and management of concussions. You will hear first-hand accounts from athletes, including Rian Wallace, former Superbowl XL Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker.

Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Time: 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Where: Middlesex County Fire Academy, Sayreville, NJ

Registration and Information: Call 1.888.MDRWJUH (1-888-637-9584) or visit us online at www.rwjtrauma.org/injuryprevention.

Applications for 4-4.5 contact hours and CEUs have been submitted for nurses, educators, athletic trainers, and EMTs.

Registration Fee is $20.00. Dinner will be provided for all attendees.

Safe Kids Walk This Way Coming October 5th!

SafeKidsNJ — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:10:55 +0000

For the ninth consecutive year, Safe Kids NJ and FedEx will team up to teach school children how to be safe pedestrians as they walk to and from school.

Together with Safe Kids USA, more than 600 International Walk to School Day activities, raising awareness around specific pedestrian dangers or issues in local communities will be held on Wednesday, October 5^th. Safe Kids NJ will host events in Bergen, Burlington, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex and Morris Counties.

A very special thank you to our FedEx team for your support! Keep posted to view pictures of our events!

Protect Kids as They Head Back to School

SafeKidsNJ — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:30:30 +0000

Summer is over and the school year has officially started! Safe Kids New Jersey reminds parents and drivers to do their part to keep kids safe as they walk to school.

Parents should be proactive and take the time to talk about safety with their kids before they head back to school.

Safe Kids New Jersey recommends that parents walk the route to school with students before the start of the year to assess hazards and select a course with the least number of traffic crossings.

Adults can teach and model the following safety behaviors that all children should follow, even if they don’t walk to school every day:

Top Back to School Safety Tips

Here are some simple reminders for drivers:

Slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones

Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs

Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully

Watch for children on and near the road in the morning and after school hours

Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings. Put down your phone and don’t talk or text while driving

Reminder for your kids:

They should cross the street with an adult until they are at least 10 years old

Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks

Never run out into the streets or cross in between parked cars

Make sure they always walk in front of the bus where the driver can see them

Safe Kids Middlesex Launches Helmet Safety Campaign

SafeKidsNJ — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:08:30 +0000

Representatives from participating police departments – Cranbury, Highland Park, Metuchen, Middlesex, Monroe, Plainsboro, South Brunswick (not pictured: Dunellen & Edison), H. James Polos, Middlesex County Freeholder, David Gregor, Middlesex County Comprehensive Traffic Safety Program Coordinator, Wendy Berk, Coordinator of Injury Prevention Services, BIANJ, Diana Starace, Coordinator of Safe Kids Middlesex County, Level One Trauma Center, RWJUH, and student bicyclists from Edgar Middle School, Metuchen.

In an effort to reduce traumatic brain injury in children, Safe Kids Middlesex County of the Level 1 Trauma Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is kicking off its 6^th Annual “wheels Under Your Feet? Helmet on Your Head!” Think Positive Campaign – a four-month helmet safety program – in nine Middlesex County municipalities.

This helmet safety campaign, part of a statewide education and awareness initiative to promote the expanded helmet law requiring all children under 17 to wear a helmet, will reward children who wear a helmet when participating in wheeled activities such as bicycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, or riding a scooter. Town police officers will give a “summons” to any child “caught” wearing their helmet between June 21 and September 30. Each summons can be redeemed for free items and enters the child in a raffle drawing.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 190,000 children sustain head injuries while participating in wheeled activities. Brain injuries often have lifelong effects, such as problems with thought processes, mobility and emotions. There is no cure for brain injury so prevention is extremely important. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that a properly worn helmet can reduce the risk of brain injury by as much as 90%. Unfortunately, less than 50% of children wear helmets regularly.

“The goal is to get children and adolescents to wear their helmets whenever they put wheels under their feet,” said Diana Starace, Safe Kids Middlesex County Coordinator and the injury prevention coordinator for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. “The campaign is modeled after a successful program held in Cranbury for the past 15 years. Their program has become so successful that it is estimated that approximately 90 percent of children age 14 and under wear their helmet on a regular basis.”

Last year, Cranbury police gave out 500 summonses, and parents wear their helmets as well after realizing the importance of helmet use. “You would think we were the ice cream man. The children see a police car and if they aren’t riding their bicycles already, they will run out and put on their helmets and ride their bikes in front of us,” said Sgt. Greg Pfremmer of the Cranbury Township Police Department.

Each summons awards a free scoop of ice cream, Italian ice, or slice of pizza and small soda, depending on the town’s sponsoring merchant. The summons also contains information about the new state helmet law as well as information about the correct way to wear a helmet. Every time a child receives a summons his/her name will be entered into a raffle toward a new bike and helmet, and one winner from each town will be selected at the end of the campaign.

Cranbury’s program, sponsored in part by the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey and the Level One Trauma Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, will join the Safe Kids Middlesex County campaign this summer along with Dunellen, Middlesex Borough, Metuchen, Highland Park, Edison, Monroe, Plainsboro, and South Brunswick. Each participating town is encouraged to hold an “All-Wheeled Sports Rodeo” where children showing up with wheels and a helmet can go through an obstacle course and receive a “certificate” upon completion of the course.

Each rodeo will also offer bicycle maintenance checks, town bike registrations, and opportunities for education and proper helmet fitting. For children in need, new helmets will be provided through the generous support of the Middlesex County Comprehensive Traffic Safety Program In addition, participating towns are encouraged to spread the message about wheeled-sports safety by providing educational programs in their schools.

Sponsored by Safe Kids Middlesex County, the Level One Trauma Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Middlesex County Comprehensive Traffic Safety Program, the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, the success of the campaign will be measured by pre- and post-campaign observational studies looking at the percentage of children wearing a helmet while participating in any wheeled sport.

“Each year we expand the campaign and increase the number youth we reach. Our long-term goal is to implement this campaign throughout MiddlesexCounty,” noted Starace

Anyone interested in learning more about this campaign or other safety programs should contactSafeKidsMiddlesexCountyat (732) 418-8026.

May Is Bike Safety Month

SafeKidsNJ — Tue, 17 May 2011 19:12:38 +0000

Did you know that bikes are associated with more childhood injuries than any other consumer product except automobiles? Sadly, child bicycling deaths increase 45% above the month average in the summer. With 27.7 million children riding bikes, we know there are too many of those kids riding without a helmet.

Bike helmets are a necessity, not an accessory! Learning how to ride a bike is a rite of passage in childhood, and it’s an activity that families can certainly do together. However, there are some important things for you to consider before jumping on that bike.

Top Bike Safety Tips

Make it a rule: every time you and your child ride a bike, wear a bicycle helmet that meets the safety standards developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Helmet fit is important.

Make sure the helmet fits and your child knows how to put it on correctly. A helmet should sit on top of the head in a level position, and should not rock forward, backward or side to side. The helmet straps must always be buckled but not too tightly.

Try the Eyes, Ears and Mouth Test:

EYES check: Position the helmet on your head. Look up and you should see the bottom rim of the helmet. The rim should be one to two finger-widths above the eyebrows.
EARS check: Make sure the straps of the helmet form a “V” under your ears when buckled. The strap should be snug but comfortable.
MOUTH check: Open your mouth as wide as you can. Do you feel the helmet hug your head?

(Want to see a video demonstrating the eyes, ears and mouth test? Go to: http://www.safekids.org/safety-basics/safety-spotlight/bike-safety-month/ )

Proper equipment fit and maintenance are also important for safety.

Ensure proper bike fit by bringing the child along when shopping for a bike. Buy a bicycle that is the right size for the child, not one he will grow into. When sitting on the seat, the child’s feet should be able to touch the ground.

Make sure the reflectors are secure, brakes work properly, gears shift smoothly and tires are tightly secured and properly inflated.

Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson Aim to Help Protect Young Athletes

SafeKidsNJ — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:34:50 +0000

National Survey Finds Parents and Coaches Need More Youth Sports Safety Information

A majority of parents of young athletes recognize the importance of sports safety, but lack confidence in their own ability and the ability of coaches to prevent and recognize symptoms of key sports injuries according to a survey released today to kick off Safe Kids USA Sports Safety Week.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 3.5 million children age 14 and under are treated for sports-related injuries each year, and as many as half of these injuries are preventable.

Commissioned by Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson, the “National Survey of Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Self-Reported Behaviors Concerning Sports Safety” finds that just 29 percent of parents surveyed feel coaches have the necessary skills to identify and prevent injuries and just 40 percent feel confident in their own abilities.

On the positive side, parents are clearly focused on the topic of youth sports safety and have a strong desire for forums that will provide them with information. In addition, overwhelming majorities of parents report that their young athletes wear properly fitted equipment (88%), drink fluids regularly (85%), warm up before playing (76%), and take the same precautions when practicing as when playing in a game (73%) – significant increases from findings in a similar survey conducted a decade ago.

In response to the findings, Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson are sponsoring a national education campaign on Youth Sports Safety, which builds on a national awareness program initiated in 2010. The goal of this campaign is to provide parents, coaches and league organizers the knowledge and skills essential to help keep children safe in sports.

With funding from Johnson & Johnson, Safe Kids USA’s coalitions will host more than 100 free Sports Safety clinics nationwide for parents, coaches and young athletes from April through this summer. In addition, Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson have partnered to conduct a free Youth Sports Safety Webcast on Monday, May 2, at 12 PM EDT to teach more about how to keep children safe in sports.

Featured participants in the Webcast include:

• Dr. Angela Mickalide, MCHES, Director of Research and Programs, Safe Kids Worldwide;
• Former NFL star and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young;
• Dr. Gerard Gioia, director of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program at Children’s National Medical Center;
• Dr. Douglas Casa, ATC FACSM, FNATA, and chief operating officer with the Korey Stringer Institute, Neag School of Education, for the University of Connecticut.

“Parents and coaches have a very important role to play in keeping children safe and injury free,” said Dr. Angela Mickalide, MCHES, director of research and programs, Safe Kids Worldwide. “It begins with having the right attitude and realistic expectations for children about sports and then knowing how to help them prepare properly, prevent injuries and play safely.”

Conducted by Hart Research Associates as a follow-up to a similar survey conducted in 2000, the national telephone survey of 751 parents of youth athletes ages 5 to 14, updates important trends and benchmark findings related to sports participation and sports safety. It also explores emerging topics of concern such as overuse or “stress” injuries, as well as concussions and dehydration.

Notable results from the survey:

• Kids today often are involved in more than one sport with an increased focus on team play, but spending less time actually participating in each sport.

• The number of these young athletes who have sustained multiple injuries while playing team sports has increased significantly, jumping from 15 percent in 2000 to 21 percent today.

. The most prevalent types of sport-related injuries continue to be sprains, muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries and heat-related illness.

• 67% of parents believe that football poses the greatest risk of injury to their children, far outpacing hockey (10%), soccer (6%) and baseball/softball (5%).

• Parents view their child’s involvement in team sports as positive with a number of benefits including learning the value of teamwork, creating healthy habits, promoting fun and fostering friendships.

• 57% of parents said that their children’s coaches are certified in CPR, keeps a first-aid kit on hand during play and have an up-to-date copy of their kid’s medical history.

The Safe Kids Sports Safety clinics and Webcast will focus on four key areas: the importance of a pre-participation evaluation for a child with his/her physician prior to play; overuse injuries; dehydration and heat-related illness; and concussions. Visit www.safekids.org/sports for more information about these upcoming programs.

As part of its educational campaign, Safe Kids USA and Johnson & Johnson have partnered with media companies to develop and run public service announcements (PSAs) about the prevention of youth sports injury:

Nickelodeon will air the PSA “Benched”—which illustrates the importance of parents and kids taking the proper steps to prevent sports injuries—throughout the spring on TeenNick, Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite.
AOL will also feature web banner PSAs from now through June 15.

For further information on sport safety initiatives in New Jersey contact Carol Ann Giardelli, Director, Safe Kids NJ at cgiardel@its.jnj.com.

Booster Seat Program Still Fun in Parsippany School District

SafeKidsNJ — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:30:16 +0000

Where is the safest place to sit in a car? What strong bones should your seat belt go on?

Are you big enough to sit in a booster seat? These are a few of the questions that are asked when the Buckle Up Team from Northern NJ Safe Kids enters kindergarten classes.

Northern NJ Safe Kids began working with the Angelina Regianni a Kindergarten Teacher and Paula Grather RN from the Mt. Tabor School 5 years ago. They noticed that many of their students were not in car seats or booster seats.

Together Northern NJ Safe Kids/Safe Communities and the Mt. Tabor School coordinated the program using the I’m Safe Buckle Up tools.

An assessment tool borrowed from Atlantic/Cape May Safe Kids enabled Northern NJ Safe Kids/Safe Communities to communicate with the parents. We notified the parents as to what type a child seat would be best for their child. “If their child was in need of a booster seat, Northern NJ Safe Kids/Safe Communities provides one for them”, says KJ Feury RN APN NNJ Safe Kids/Safe Communities coordinator (pictured here with students).

This program has been well received by all. More than half of the elementary schools in the Parsippany District have been visited.

Free Sports Safety Clinics

SafeKidsNJ — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:49:48 +0000

Safe Kids Middlesex County, led by The Level One Trauma Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick will partner with the Metuchen School District and Johnson & Johnson to conduct two free sports safety clinics on February, 24^th and 28^th in the cafeteria at Metuchen High School.

The Feb. 24 session will take place at 7:30 p.m. and is open to the community, including parents, teenage athletes, recreation staff, YMCA coaches and team volunteers. The Feb. 28 session is set for 3:15 p.m. and is aimed at middle and high school faculty and staff.

Both clinics will feature presentations from Timothy Hosea, a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon affiliated with Robert Wood Johnson, and Lauren Butler, Metuchen’s certified athletic trainer. A panel discussion will follow that also will include Lawrence Golbe, a Metuchen resident and professor of neurology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the hospital, and John Cathcart, Metuchen’s athletic director.

Topics will include: concussion prevention and screening methods, importance of pre-participation physicals, proper hydration and spotting cardiac events, overuse injury prevention techniques, and appropriate gear and equipment.

For further information contact Diana Starace, diana.starace@rwjuh.edu or call 732-418-8026.

Essex County Coordinator Honored

SafeKidsNJ — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:11:02 +0000

Iesha Suber, Essex County Safe Kids Coordinator and Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator at the New Jersey Trauma Center was recently presented with the 2010 Health Educator of the Year Award by the New Jersey Society for Public Health Education (NJSOPHE). This award recognizes a dedicated member of NJSOPHE who has shown an active commitment to Health Education and the organization through demonstrated involvement in NJSOPHE and excellence in the practice of Health Education. Congratulations Iesha on this well deserved honor!

Pictured above from left to right: Dawn Snyder, Pedestrian Safety Health Educator; Iesha Suber, Chair, NJSOPHE Program Committee and Safe Kids Essex County Coordinator and Robin Vlamis, Chair, NJSOPHE Awards & Scholarship Committee.

Dunellen Makes Strides in Pedestrian Safety

SafeKidsNJ — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:46:34 +0000

In celebration of International Walk Your Child to School Month, Middlesex County Safe Kids held a pedestrian safety poster contest at Faber Elementary School in Dunellen. Students in all grades were invited to submit an entry focusing on the theme of Pedestrian Safety, utilizing the medium of their choice. Over 30 entries were received and judged by a panel of experts. Winners from each grade were chosen and have been recognized with a Walk this Way t-shirt and certificate. The winners, as pictured in the photograph (clockwise) are : Chloe Dale, Stephanie Fetzer, Irene Perez, Melissa Klezer, Shwta Iyer, Jenthel Eliza Reyes, Aayushi Shah, and Faroyza Elsayed. Not pictured is Nya Lambert.