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Akron Children's Hospital Mahoning Valley leads local Safe Kids
BOARDMAN
The Safe Kids Mahoning Valley Coalition, which serves Mahoning and Trumbull counties, is expanding this summer into Columbiana County.
Safe Kids is a nationwide network of organizations working to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability for children age 1 to 19.
Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley is the lead organization for the Safe Kids Mahoning Valley Coalition.
“We were asked by Safe Kids Worldwide to extend our reach into Columbiana County in order to provide support and education there on topics that directly impact the safety of children,” said Kathleen Ashton, director of program integration and development for Akron Children’s.
“In the United States, nearly 9 million children are treated for injuries in emergency departments every year. Our goal is to educate the community and help reduce these numbers,” Ashton said.
Community partners for Safe Kids Mahoning Valley Coalition include regional health organizations, businesses, fire and police departments and other safety and health organizations.
Safe Kids Worldwide requires a contract be signed by every coalition member. When the coordinator of the Columbiana County Coalition left the county’s health department, the program was discontinued, Ashton said.
She noted that Wes Vins, Columbiana County health commissioner, and Danielle Dillon, head of the Coordinated Action for School Health (CASH) Coalition, are supportive of Akron Children’s taking over the Columbiana County Safe Kids program.
Vens and Dillon will become part of the Safe Kids Mahoning Valley Coalition and attend its quarterly meetings, which rotate among member counties.
The next meeting will take place at 2:30 p.m. April 17 at Akron Children’s community outreach building on its Beeghly Campus, 6505 Market St., Boardman.
Ashton also is head of Akron Children’s Community Outreach, Education and Support Center which has programs for at-risk, chronically ill children.
For example, she said Akron Children’s has safe-sleep and car-seat safety programs.
Andrea Neuman-Taddei is the injury prevention coordinator at Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley and for Safe Kids Coordinator for the Mahoning Valley Coalition.
The Valley coalition is one of 500 in 25 countries around the world.
According to the national Safe Kids organization, since its inception, there has been a 60-percent decrease in the unintentional injury rate among children 19 years and younger.
Safe Kids reported an average of 2,200 kids die annually from injuries in the home in the U.S., making it the nation’s No. 1 killer of children.
Safe Kids Worldwide was founded in 1988 by Dr. Martin R. Eichelberger, a pediatric trauma surgeon, and Herta Feely, a public-relations professional, at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.