Offer car seat education to new parents
Three Orange City Area Health System nurses recently completed certification as Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Erica Wheeler, Lauren Moerman, and Jessica Gesink are now trained to help educate parents and the public on current regulations, the appropriate devices for their children, and the steps necessary to ensure the correct installation of car seats in their vehicles. According to seatcheck.org, child safety seats can reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers, ages 1-4. However, an awareness gap exists when it comes to child passenger safety; while 96 percent of parents and caregivers believe their child safety seats are installed correctly, research shows that 7 out of 10 children are improperly restrained. Orange City Area Health System car seat technicians are available to assist parents of the 200+ babies born each year at the health system as they go home from the hospital, and also to provide education to the public during events like the health system’s bi-annual Family Safety Fair.