Promoting injury prevention: A new strategy for children's hospitals and their community partners

Despite public health efforts, injury continues to be the leading cause of death for American children under the age of 14. Children's hospital-based safety centers or safety stores are a novel strategy for community based injury prevention. At the American Family Children's Hospital, located at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, the Kohl's Safety Center (KSC) will focus on the leading causes of childhood injury. The scope of service of the safety center will include three major areas: the provision of educational materials regarding injury prevention, the sale of safety products (at cost) and the opportunity for parents and caregivers to have hands on experience with the proper use of safety devices. While the concept of one-stop injury prevention resource center and safety store is not new, the KSC is unique in the expanded use of demonstration areas, including a mock bathroom and nursery. These demonstration areas will allow families to more fully understand the potential hazards commonly found in a home along with safety devices that can minimize these risks. The KSC will also house a display vehicle seat with a variety of seat belt configurations for educating parents on appropriate installation of child passenger safety seats. An experienced health educator, with a background in injury prevention, will serve as the safety center staff to educate families about common sources of childhood injury and to provide tutorials on proper installation and use of common safety devices. The goal of the Kohl's Safety Center is to increase attention to the public health problem of injury, while improving access to critical information, safety products, and services for parents and caregivers.