Three Washington, D.C. Area Hospital Emergency Departments Receive Child Safety Seats From Emergency Nurses Care and GEICO
1 June 2000
Three Washington, D.C. Area Hospital Emergency Departments Receive Child Safety Seats From Emergency Nurses Care and GEICOWASHINGTON, June 1 The emergency departments of Children's National Medical Center, Greater Southeast Community Hospital and Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., received child safety seats today to protect children discharged from the hospitals if the parents or guardians have no safety seats for the ride home. Emergency Nurses CARE (EN CARE), and GEICO, the nation's largest direct marketer of auto insurance, joined in a pilot program to offer the child safety seats to the hospitals. EN CARE trained the emergency department staffs in the proper use and installation of child safety seats and GEICO provided a grant for the program. Each hospital received a total of 10 child safety seats; five convertible, two infant and three booster. As part of the education and training offered by EN CARE, a free child safety seat check for the public was held today at GEICO's headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md. "A recent study found that 82 percent of car seats are misused in some way, " said Benjamin Marett, president of the Emergency Nurses Association. "That is why we view our mission of public education as critical. Through our training, emergency department staffs can help parents and guardians properly use child safety seats." "GEICO is very pleased to join with the emergency health care professionals at EN CARE, to fulfill this community need, " said David Schindler, senior vice president for GEICO. "The need was brought to our attention by a GEICO associate who had an emergency department visit with her child and no child safety seats were available for the ride home. Then we learned from EN CARE that hospital emergency departments face this need every day." EN CARE is a national, non-profit injury prevention organization whose mission is to reduce preventable injuries and deaths by educating the public to raise awareness and promote healthy lifestyles. EN CARE was founded by Barbara Foley and Pam Bell in 1981, two emergency room nurses at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Mass., after another weekend of treating fractures, lacerations, serious head trauma and internal injuries resulting from drinking and driving. Today, EN CARE has grown from two concerned people to a nationwide movement with local chapters around the country. In 1995, EN CARE joined forces with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) as its Injury Prevention Institute. EN CARE programs include: Child Passenger Safety; Alcohol Awareness, Crash Course; Collaborative Approach to Injury Prevention; Poloroid Family Violence Prevention; and Gun Safety, It's No Accident. ENA is an international organization committed to the advancement and enhancement of the emergency nursing practice. The focus of the association is providing quality continuing education, supporting nursing research, promoting the profession and sponsoring public safety programs.