Winter 2008 - Arkansas Children's Hospital

HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH PROGRAMSOne area on which the Injury Prevention Center at ACH willfocus is car seat safety. Above, a certified child seat techniciandemonstrates the correct way to secure a car seat.The Injury Prevention Center will also focus on teachingchildren, teens and parents the importance of wearinghelmets and other protective devices.Injury Prevention Center at ACH Worksto Save the Lives of Arkansas Children■ Kila OwensWhen Dr. Mary Aitken* was a resident, she was working inthe neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital when a prematurebaby was brought in for treatment. After much medical interventionand many months of intensive care, the baby survived, and thestaff considered it a miracle.Several months later, Dr. Aitken learned that the baby had diedin a car crash. The fatal injuries to the child could have been prevented,if only she had been seated in an appropriate car seat.Dr. Aitken, medical director of the new Injury PreventionCenter at ACH, learned an important lesson when she heard of thebaby’s death. It was such a tragedy – an accident that could havebeen so easily avoided had killed the baby she and other medicalprofessionals had worked so hard to save.“It was upsetting because this child was a medical save, someonewho against all odds survived,” says Dr. Aitken. “The experiencegot me interested in the idea of prevention as an essential part ofhealthcare.”In Arkansas, fatal accidents for children ages 1-14 happen 20 to30 percent more often than is typical in the United States accordingto Natural Wonders: The State of Children’s Health in Arkansas, thefirst-ever comprehensive report of the overall health of children inthe state.Most injuries have preventable causes – they are not simply coincidenceor bad luck. Children are injured while riding in cars withoutproper restraints, operating ATVs that are not age-appropriateor without training or protective equipment like helmets or pads,and swimming without proper supervision.While not all accidents are preventable, most are, and the InjuryPrevention Center at ACH is trying to spread the word and savethe lives of Arkansas children.“For years now, we have recognized that Arkansas has a substantialproblem with injuries,” says Dr. Aitken. “Although we realize we havea big problem, we haven’t had a concentrated, coordinated approachto preventing these injuries. The center is going to provide that focusand the organized approach to help prevention.”The Injury Prevention Center, a three-year pilot project, is the firstdirect response to Natural Wonders. The mission of the center is toprovide the education and resources needed to prevent injuries.The first order of business for the center, which opened in early2008, is to analyze data to identify what injuries happen most often,why these injuries happen and where in the state these injuries occur.Staff members will then create a public awareness and educationcampaign based on the findings of the data analysis. Professionaleducation for medical students and residents at ACH is also importantso that these trainees will be aware of the injury problem andcan promote safety with their future patients.ACH currently promotes many injury prevention issues, includingcar seat safety, fire safety and ATV safety. The new Injury PreventionCenter will coordinate these activities, while also adding drowningprevention and motor vehicle safety for teens.In addition to educating the general public, the center will alsowork to ensure that public health leaders and policy makers are awareof the problem.“We want to make sure our leaders know what the current injurynumbers are and how measures that have been effective in otherstates might potentially improve those numbers,” says Richard Davis,associate director of the Injury Prevention Center.Continued on next page6