|
Our research shows some compelling reasons why Safe Kids is vital to safety of children in our community. For example, according to the Florida Department of Health, seven of the eight counties in the Safe Kids North Central Florida region are above the state average in injury mortality rates. Six of our counties are above the state average in injury hospitalization rates. The number one counties (Dixie and Union) in the state for deaths and hospitalizations are located in our service area.
The trauma registry at Shands at UF, reported that 84 pediatric trauma alerts were called between October 2004 and April 2005. These are injuries serious enough for our trauma team to be called to the emergency room. Half of these trauma alerts were called as a result of motor vehicle crashes. According to Florida Hospital Discharge Data, 919 children were hospitalized or killed by accidental injury in our service area from 1999 – 2003.
Our Safe Kids continues to track our own statistics from car seat checks and we hope to put this data to use in the coming year. According to data collected during car seat checks in our service area, only 8 percent of car seats were installed correctly by the parent or caregiver when it arrived at our event.
|
