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Our mountain kids mean Trusted Care for Kids! Learn more atwww.RockyMountainHospitalForChildren.com

Whether due to an ACL injuryfrom the championship game or anaccidental poisoning from a clean-ing product, emergency department visits arefairly common among children and adolescents. According to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC), accidental injury is the leadingcause of death in children and young adults. Whileyou can’t prevent every bump or bruise, you can learn

ways to reduce the chance your child will be seriouslyhurt. Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children(RMHC) at Swedish Medical Center iscommitted to helping parents and chil-dren protect themselves from injuries andaccidents. Here are some safety tips to helpkeep your children safe.

Now a service of all HealthONE hospitals: The Medical Center of Aurora, North Suburban Medical Center, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Rose Medical Center, Sky Ridge Medical Center and Swedish Medical Center.

March 2011

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Playground Safety

Each year,500,000 injuriesrequiring med-ical attentionoccur on aplayground.Most of these in-juries are the re-sult of falls fromplaygroundequipment.

Arrive PreparedAdult supervision is a must! Check to make sure your child’s

clothes are tucked in and not a hazard;items that may get caught in theequipment and cause a strangulationrisk include hoodies, scarves, loose-hanging strings, jewelry, hooks, cordsand helmet straps.

! Insist that your children wear shoes toprotect feet.

! Carry a basic first aid kit with you.! Remove bicycle helmets prior to

playing.! Review and enforce playground rules.

Safety FirstInspect the play area! Make sure playground equipment is

age-appropriate.! Check the temperature of the equip-

ment to make sure it is not too hot.! Look for broken equipment, protru-

sions (such as S-hooks and bolts) andsharp points or edges. Also, make surethat equipment is anchored securely.

! Make sure the surface around play-ground equipment is made of woodchips, mulch, sand, pea gravel orpoured-in-place rubber mats. Surfaceareas made with concrete, asphalt,

grass, blacktop, packeddirt or rocks are not safefor playgrounds.! Ensure that surfacesaround playgroundequipment are at least

12" deep and extend atleast six feet in all directionsfrom play equipment.

Playground RulesInstruct your children in

safe play with these simple rules:! Play responsibly; no pushing or rough-

housing while on the equipment.! Take turns; one person at a time on

a swing, slide, monkey bars or otherequipment.

! Swing safely; remain seated whileswinging, slow down before gettingoff and don’t walk close to someoneswinging.

! Slides are for sliding; do not climb upthe front of a slide.

! Look first before you jump or slideand make sure no one isbelow you.

Poison SafetyEach year, more

than 1.2 millionchildren ages 5 and under areunintentionallypoisoned.

Poison Prevention Weekis March 13-19, 2011. One ofthe themes is “Children Act Fast –So Do Poisons.” It’s important to re-member that what young kids see andreach, they usually put in their mouths.As children’s mobility and capabilities in-crease, they can reach medicines andhousehold products wherever they’restored. Source: safekids.org

Facts! Children are at a significantly greater

risk than adults for accidental poison-ing because they are smaller, have fastermetabolic rates and are less able tophysically handle toxic chemicals.

! 83% of poisonings result from unin-tentional exposures; substances mostfrequently involved in accidental poi-sonings include analgesics, cosmet-ics/personal care products, cleaningsupplies and prescription drugs.

Drugs, Medicines and Vitamins! Keep medicines and

vitamins in their originalchild-resistant bottles andcontainers, locked up and out of reach.

! Don’t call medicine “candy.”! Avoid taking medicine in front of

children because they often imitateadults.

! Exercise caution when keeping medicine in purses,

suitcases and pillboxes aschildren may be curi-ous.

Household and Chemical

Products! Store household and

chemical productslocked up, away from

food and out of sight ofchildren.

! Store all products in their original containers.

! Never mix household productstogether as they may produce

poisonous gases.! Don’t leave poisonous products

unattended.

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! Turn on a fan and open windows when using chemicalproducts.

Around the Home! Install carbon monoxide detectors

in your home. Appliances that use gaso-line, kerosene, propane, natural gas and wood producecarbon monoxide, which is an odorless gas often calledthe “silent killer.” Be sure to maintain and check fuel-burning appliances annually.

! Do not keep your car running in an attached garage asthe carbon monoxide emitted from the automobile canenter your home.

! Keep poisonous plants out of reach of children and pets.

! Keep children away from plants and lawns that havebeen sprayed with weed killer, bug killer or fertilizer.

! Teach children not to put mushrooms, leaves andberries that grow in the yard in their mouths.

Be Prepared and Calm! Keep a list of emergency phone numbers near

your phone.

Poison Control Center1-800-222-1222

! Call 911 if the person has collapsed, is not breathing oris having a hard time breathing. If the person is awakeand breathing normally, call the Poison Control Center.

! Be prepared to provide the person’s weight, age, typeand brand of poison, time of poison exposure and theaddress where the poisoning occurred when you call.

! Stay on the phone and follow instructions from the emer-gency operator or Poison Control Center.

Window SafetyAbout 18 children ages 10 and under die annually from falls from windows.Another 4,700 children ages 14 andunder require treatment each year forwindow fall-related injuries. (NationalSafe Kids Campaign).

While somefalls occur fromwindows, it is im-portant to realizethat in the eventof a fire a windowcan also save achild’s life by pro-viding a second-ary means of escape or rescue.

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First-Aid Kit ChecklistA well-stocked first-aid kit is yourfirst line of defense in treatinginjuries and scrapes. Keep onein your home, each car andstash one away in your suitcase.Pre-packaged kits can be pur-chased at drugstores or you canassemble one of your own in adurable, waterproof case (plas-tic tackle, sewing or art supplyboxes work well).

• A well-organized first-aid manual

• Sterile gauze pads of differentsizes

• Adhesive tape

• Bandages in several sizes• An elastic bandage/wrap• A splint• Antiseptic wipes• Antibiotic ointment• Antiseptic solution (i.e. hydro-

gen peroxide)• Hydrocortisone cream • Pain relievers (i.e. acetamino-

phen and/or ibuprofen)• Tweezers• Sharp scissors• Disposable instant cold packs• Anti-itch cream (i.e. Calamine

lotion)• Alcohol wipes or rubbing

alcohol

• Burn gel or aloe vera• A thermometer• Plastic non-latex gloves • A flashlight and extra batteries• A mouthpiece for administer-

ing CPR (can be obtained fromyour local Red Cross)

• Any prescription medicationsused by your family members

• A list of emergency phonenumbers

• A blanket and a jar ofdistilled water (stored

in your cars)

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Window Safety Checklist! Make sure windows are not painted or sealed shut.! Keep windows closed and locked when children are

around.! Do not allow children to play near

windows, balconies and decks.! Install and maintain window and door safety devices.

! Do not consider a window screen to be asafety device; screens keep bugs out, butdon’t keep children in.

! Make sure the window safety deviceshave emergency release mechanisms in casean emergency escape or rescue is needed.! Don’t install window air conditionerunits in bedroom or other windows thatmay be needed for escape or rescue in anemergency.! Keep furniture and other climbing hazards away from windows, balconies and decks.

! Make sure landscaping under-neath windows will help lessenthe impact of a fall if one doesoccur.

! Do not underestimate children’s mobility and or ability to learn how to release safety devices.

Sports SafetyEach year, more than 775,000

children ages 14 and under are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries. Most of the injuries result from falls, being struck by an object, collisions and overexertion duringunorganized or informal sports activities.(American Academy of Pediatrics and National Kids Safe Campaign).

Before and During the Game! Get to know the coach. Find out if she/he is a state-

approved coach for the sport and has training in CPR and first-aid.

! Make sure your child wears the appropriate safety gear and equipment for the sport.

! Reinforce the importance of warming up and stretchingbefore playing.

! Make sure children are supervised by an adult at all times.

! Keep children hydrated prior to, during and following athletic activities.

Prevent Overuse Injuries by Following theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines! Limit training to no more than five days a week.! Encourage participation in sports that emphasize

fun, safety, sportsmanship and learning.! Don’t enroll children in organized sports before the

age of five.

Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children and itsfamily of locations in every HealthONE hospital brings trustedexperience and proven care to you and your children. For infor-mation on parenting, health tips and more, visit www.Rocky-MountainHospitalForChildren.com.

At Swedish Medical Center

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The Injury Prevention Team atHealthONE’s Swedish Medical Centeris a leader in community education to help prevent injuries in adults and children. Because of their commit-ment to preventing injuries and accidents before theyhappen, this dedicated team has developed the com-munity’s best resource of injury preventionrecommendations. Visit www.swedishhospital.com/conditions-we-treat/trauma-center/injury-prevention.htmfor a complete library of important information for yourfamily.

AIRLIFE

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