Brochure targets safety and health for children birth through kindergarten
Contacts: MMS, Richard Gulla, 781-434-7101 rgulla@mms.org
TSI, Lewis C. Howe, 774-565-0286 lewis@thesafetyinstitute.org
Waltham/Rehoboth, Mass. – May 8 – Declaring that “home safety is not an accident,” the Massachusetts Medical Society Alliance and The Safety Institute (TSI) have collaborated in developing a child safety brochure for parents and caregivers of children newborn through age 5 aimed at improving safety in the home and reducing unintentional injuries to infants and toddlers.
Home Safety is Not an Accident, Keeping Children Safe from Birth through Kindergarten is a 12-page pamphlet providing a wealth of safety tips for caregivers. It includes such topics as preparing a home for a newborn, safe sleep for infants, kitchen and bath safety, outdoor and recreation safety, child passenger safety laws, backyard safety, and even hazards at grandparents’ homes. The project was initiated by TSI and funded by the MMS Alliance, with content provided by both organizations.
“Safe and healthy children is the goal of our partnership,” said Gladys Chan, outgoing president of the Massachusetts Medical Society Alliance. “Most serious injuries occur in and around the home, and by increasing awareness and providing specific steps to take, we can help parents and caregivers create home environments that reduce the risk of injury and illness and are much safer for children.”
“Unintentional injuries have long been the leading cause of death and hospitalization for infants and toddlers, both in Massachusetts and across the country,” said Lewis Howe, executive director of The Safety Institute, a nonprofit charitable organization based in Rehoboth, Mass. devoted to injury prevention and product safety. “TSI is committed to educating parents and adult caregivers about hazards and is proud to partner with the Massachusetts Medical Society Alliance to give parents, grandparents and other caregivers information to keep the preschoolers in their lives safe and secure.”
In addition to the many safety tips, the brochure also contains additional listings of websites and phone numbers for such areas as swimming pool safety, burn prevention, window safety, and poison control emergencies. It also includes a tear-out sheet for listing local emergency phone numbers.
The brochure is available free via download from the websites of both organizations at www.massmed.org/alliance/childsafety and at www.thesafetyinstitute.org and may be duplicated for distribution without profit. A limited number of copies are available in print by writing to alliance@massmed.org or lewis@thesafetyinstitute.org. The project is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine.
The Massachusetts Medical Society Alliance is an organization of physicians' spouses, physicians, medical students, partners, and friends committed to advancing the health and well-being of the family of medicine, and in conjunction with the Massachusetts Medical Society, the professional association of physicians in Massachusetts with nearly 24,000 members, advocates and promotes good health among the citizens of the Commonwealth. For more information, visit www.massmed.org/alliance.
The Safety Institute, based in Rehoboth, Mass., is a nonprofit charitable organization devoted to emphasizing injury prevention and product safety as an important basis for a healthy and productive society and as a vital component to reducing health care costs. Its mission is to support evidence-based research and interventions aimed at reducing injuries and improving product safety and to provide a strong, independent voice for safety professionals and survivors seeking to influence and advance prevention policies and strategies. For more information, visit www.thesafetyinstitute.org.
