(Salt Lake City, UT) – Unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle crashes, drowning, and poisoning continue to be the number one killer of children ages one to 18 in Utah. Fortunately, there are effective ways to prevent many of these tragedies from even occurring. Thanks to a generous donation from Intermountain Healthcare, Safe Kids Utah will now be able to expand safety programs across the state such as car seat checkups, ATV safety clinics, and other education programs that teach children, parents, and caregivers how to prevent unintentional childhood injuries.
“When a child dies or is seriously injured, the lives of families and communities are changed forever. But these tragedies don’t have to happen. The important thing to remember about preventable injuries is that they are preventable. They often occur in predictable ways and can be completely avoided with the right education, awareness, and planning,” said Cambree Applegate, Safe Kids Utah director. “This donation will allow Safe Kids Utah to increase our efforts to teach parents how to keep their children safe while at home, at play, or on the road.”
Prevention efforts lead by Safe Kids Utah over the last two decades have worked. From 1999 to 2014, there has been a 60 percent decrease in the rate of unintentional injury deaths among Utah children ages one to 18 (12.9 per 100,000 in 1999 vs. 5.1 in 2014).
“As a not-for-profit healthcare system, Intermountain Healthcare’s priority is to improve health in the communities we serve,” said Mikelle Moore, vice president of Community Benefit for Intermountain Healthcare. “We are grateful to assist Safe Kids Utah to meet their goals to prevent unintentional childhood injuries.”
Safe Kids Utah was organized in 1995 to address the issue of childhood injuries and to look for better ways to keep kids safe. Safe Kids Utah is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization housed within the Utah Department of Health.
“Our vision is to reduce preventable childhood injury. In partnership with Intermountain Healthcare, other valuable partners, and Safe Kids coalitions throughout the state, we advocate for effective laws, educate adults and children to provide safe environments, and empower local communities,” stated Applegate.
Intermountain Healthcare is a not-for-profit health system based in Salt Lake City. Recognized for its excellent clinical care and low costs, Intermountain strives to help people live the healthiest lives possible.
For more information about preventing child injuries and Safe Kids Utah, visit http://safekidsutah.org.
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Cambree Applegate
Safe Kids Utah Coordinator
(o) 801-538-6852 (m) 435-862-8773
