Keeping Baby Safe - At Home and In the Car

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

The Level One Trauma Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Safe Kids Middlesex County, in partnership with the hospital’s Community Education Department, is beginning a new series of baby safety programs for parents and caregivers this month. Covered topics include shaken baby syndrome, car seat safety and home safety.

Beginning Thursday, March 23, two-hour Child Passenger Safety Awareness Workshops will offer parents the opportunity to learn about general car passenger safety, state laws and fines regarding child restraints, the variety of seats available for each child’s age and size, and which seat is best for each individual’s needs. Participants are asked to bring their car seat to the class for demonstrations and hands-on exercises. Workshops will also be offered in June, September and November.

“Hush Little Baby,” a one-hour program about shaken baby syndrome, will teach parents, caregivers and other childcare providers about the syndrome and the effects it can have on individuals and families. Participants will be given resources to prevent shaken baby syndrome, watch a video documentary and have the opportunity for discussion. This program will be offered on Wednesday, April 5, with additional dates scheduled in June, September and December.

Parents and caregivers can learn about home safety during a one-hour seminar entitled “Safety Starts at Home: A Guide for Parents and their Children.” Childproofing, fall prevention, fire safety and poison prevention tips will be provided. A question/answer session will also take place.

For more information or to register for any of these programs, please call Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s Community Education Department at (732) 418-8110.

Throughout the year, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital offers car seat safety assessments and special needs car seat consultations by Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Assessments are done for children of any age, and will include the proper fitting of the car seat in the vehicle as well as the child in the seat. All assessments are by appointment and can be scheduled by calling (732) 418-8026.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.

Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.


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