Our focus is to offer a variety of services and programs that focus on injury prevention in a wide range of areas. We do this by strengthening and forging new partnerships and enlisting the support of parents, children and the community to reduce injury rates. Our educational and interactive services include presentations, conferences, and consultations to schools, day cares and youth organizations. The programs address injury prevention methods relating to:

• Falls
• Motor vehicles
• Pedestrian activity
• Poisoning
• Homicides
• Bicycle
• Suffocation
• Drowning
• Assault and violence

We also provide programs based on other areas of injury prevention, and frequently host events and seminars to teach kids, parents and other community members how to reduce the risk of injuries.
 

Project Safe Home

Project Safe Home addresses two of the most common home injuries: poisoning and falls. Through this program, children and parents learn how to make their homes safer and increase their knowledge and skills in preventing these common but avoidable injuries. We can help by performing assessments and giving presentations on Home Safety Essentials. Furthermore, we work closely with a multifaceted group of community organizations to reduce injuries. 

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Safe Sitter Outreach at Riley

Safe Sitter provides the perfect opportunity to expose children to safe and healthy habits of childcare. Most young adolescents lack the knowledge of first aid, rescue skills, behavior management techniques and general life experiences necessary for handling medical, behavioral or household emergencies. Safe Sitter classes teach boys and girls between 11 and 13 years old the skills necessary to help them handle basic babysitting duties. This medically accurate program has been designed for young adolescents to learn how to keep children and themselves safe. 

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ThinkFirst for Kids and Youth

ThinkFirst is a highly interactive and engaging program dedicated to helping kids and adolescents become aware of the consequences their choices can have. Programs involve children, teachers, parents and members of the community. The program is divided into three categories to ensure the informative yet fun activities are age appropriate. Furthermore, all ThinkFirst programs are literacy based and meet the district’s academic standards.

ThinkFirst for Kids was designed to help kids in first through third grade develop safety habits that can minimize their risk of brain and spinal cord injuries such as concussions.

ThinkFirst for Youth provides youth in grades four through eight with lessons on decision-making skills, how to have a positive self image and the ability to resolve conflicts and withstand peer pressure. This curriculum includes a variety of different teaching styles and age-appropriate activities.

ThinkFirst for Teens empowers teens and young adults to make smart choices that could potentially save their life or the lives of others. Adolescents are risk-takers who believe that they are invincible to injury and death. This belief puts them at risk for traumatic injuries including brain and spinal cord injuries. The ThinkFirst for Teens program provides students with an opportunity to learn about the physical, social and emotional consequences of such injuries. This program also connects with teens by providing a speaker who has gone through a traumatic incident because of negative choices they made.

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Walking and Looking to Keep Safe

According to Safe Kids USA, an average of 355 unintentional pedestrian injuries have occurred yearly among children ages 14 and under since 2000. Many children and adults think walking is easy and requires little thought; when it actually takes approximately 26 skills to cross a street.

We partner with schools and youth groups to reduce the number of pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Through our partnerships, we offer programs such as the Safety Town pedestrian course. This life size replica of an intersection allows us to demonstrate the proper ways to cross a street, what to look for as a pedestrian and other ways we can remain safe. In addition, we offer other evidence-based programs that teach children about the benefits of safely walking to and from school.

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Child Passenger Safety Program

Approximately 80% of children are not restrained correctly in their car seat, increasing the risk of serious injury. Child Passenger Safety, a partnership with multiple statewide injury prevention organizations, aims to increase the knowledge of proper car seat usage and reduce the chances of injuries occurring during transportation. Through this program, certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians work with families to address the challenges of safely restraining their child. In addition, presentations are provided to community groups, parent groups and others on safer transportation of children.

The program provides access to permanent fitting stations around the state and offers opportunities for parents to contact the office with questions or concerns. For more information and to find a permanent fitting station, please contact the Automotive Safety Program at: www.preventinjury.org or 1.800.543.6227.

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CPR & First Aid

Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health offers courses that teach basic CPR and First Aid skills. All courses are taught by a certified American Heart Association Instructor. A variety of different types of courses are available to meet the needs of daycares, churches, foster parents and community members. We also offer customized classes suited personally for your organization.

Please contact us to register for a CPR or First Aid course.

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