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Fall Newsletter
August 2023
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Safe Kids Grand Forks brings together the expertise of individuals in our community and region who are dedicated to reducing childhood injuries. Safe Kids Grand Forks Coalition members include, but are not limited to: EMS, law enforcement, fire departments, service groups, childcare providers, school personnel, government agencies, city personnel, parents, University of North Dakota staff, and Altru Health System staff. Safe Kids Grand Forks has an extensive coalition network that provides programming in the same service area covered by our lead agency, Altru Health System. Safe Kids Grand Forks covers northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota with our injury prevention efforts, helping to keep kids and young adults safe at home, at school, at play and on the way. | |
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Our featured Safe Kids Stars are chosen for our newsletter from many different partners that we work with.
This quarter, we highlight UND Public Health student, Sessi Dossou-Gouchola. Sessi spent the summer (and will be back with us this fall) working on her clinical requirements to graduate from UND with a degree in public health. While we hope Sessi learned lots of great things she can take with her from this experience, she was also very helpful in our office and in the community. She worked on many “behind the scenes” projects, but was also out and about in the Grand Forks region, learning about public health and injury prevention right at the place where much of it takes place. Sessi is friendly and delightful and we have so enjoyed having her around our office and look forward to her continuing her clinical experience with us this fall.
Hats off to Sessi, our Fall quarter Safe Kids Star!!
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Gathering and Networking with Safe Kids Worldwide “Family”
Every other year, Safe Kids Worldwide hosts PrevCon, an injury prevention conference and this year marked the 35th Anniversary of Safe Kids Worldwide. Safe Kids Grand Forks’ team members, Jasmine and Carma attended the conference and loved the ability to network with fellow coordinators and Safe Kids members from around the globe. A highlight of the conference was celebrating with Safe Kids Co-founders, Dr. Marty Eichelberger and Herta Feely. This dynamic duo is who had the inspiration and did the work to launch this now worldwide injury prevention effort many years ago. Today, the focus of decreasing the number of preventable injuries and deaths to children remains strong and has thousands of dedicated and committed champions all over the map. We were thrilled that our fellow Coordinators from the Safe Kids Coalitions in Fargo-Moorhead, Bismarck-Mandan and Minot were also able to attend. Safe Kids Grand Forks is proud to be one of the over 440 coalitions around the United States and in over 30 countries around the world. Together, we share in the mission to keep kids safe at HOME, at SCHOOL, at PLAY and ON the WAY.
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We will be offering a limited number of yard signs to residents in school zones to remind drivers to watch for kids. These signs will be available in the lobby of Altru’s East Grand Forks Clinic, East Grand Forks and Grand Forks Public Libraries.
Please, only one per household!
These signs are made possible from a generous donation from AAA - The Auto Club Group.
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When it comes to child safety, it is better to be safe than sorry. Child Passenger Safety Week highlights the importance of ensuring that all children are properly secured in an appropriate car seat, booster seat or seatbelt. A child’s age, weight, and height can all play a factor when determining the proper seat.
September 17-23 is dedicated to all things related to child passenger safety. Safe Kids Grand Forks will be celebrating this week with extra social media posts on Facebook, extra car seat checkup events for caregivers to attend and ending the week with a special car seat checkup at Patch on the Point in East Grand Forks.
Here is a list of all the upcoming checkup events we have scheduled for this fall. Can’t find one that fits into your schedule, feel free to call our office with your car seat questions.
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How to Spot a Counterfeit Car Seat
Fake purses and knock-off shoes are one thing, but using a counterfeit car seat is something that should never be done. Some people unknowingly purchase a car seat online at a heavily discounted price and don’t realize the seat actually isn’t a “real” car seat. In most cases the counterfeit car seats might look like the real thing but are usually poorly made and will not stand up to the forces of a car crash.
Find out more on how to identify a counterfeit car seat from our friends at Car Seats For The Littles.
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Featured Car Seat - Graco Nautilus Snuglock Grow 3-in-1
The Graco® Nautilus® SnugLock® Grow™ 3-in-1 Forward-Facing Harness Booster Car Seat grows with your child from a forward-facing harness (22-65 lb) to highback booster (40-100 lb) to a backless booster (40-120 lb).
Now with Grow technology, this harness booster features a backrest that widens as the headrest rises so your growing child has the best fit and comfort at every stage. The No-Rethread Simply Safe Adjust™ Harness System allows the headrest and harness to adjust together for your convenience, and the 11-position headrest and 4-position recline mean added comfort for your child's best ride. This seat is also equipped with SnugLock® technology for a hassle-free installation in less than one minute using either vehicle seat belt or LATCH. Dual cup holders keep snacks and drinks within reach. Retail $259.99
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School Bus Safety
Safe Kids Grand Forks is now able to offer Child Passenger Safety on School Busses as part of our training catalog. Team members Tina and Amy have had the opportunity to train with our partners around the region to learn how to best assist bus drivers and Child Passenger Safety Technicians to safely transport children needing restraint systems while riding.
This information is very different from child passenger safety in a regular car. School buses typically rely on a safety method called “compartmentalization” to keep riders safe—essentially, the bus seats act as spaces in an egg carton to protect and cushion those inside. When a child is too small for the bus seats, has a hard time sitting upright, or has other needs making typical bus riding difficult, a Child Safety Restraint System needs to be used.
Safe Kids Grand Forks will be offering this training in October for all school bus drivers in the Grand Cities area who wish to participate. Call us at 701-780-1489 for more information or sign up now. Space is limited.
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Safety On Wheels
Our Safety on Wheels program will be visiting all the 3rd graders in Grand Forks this fall! This program covers helmet safety education. It is paired with an opportunity for every student on campus to order a helmet from Safe Kids at a reduced cost ($12 for bike helmets, $16 for multi-sport helmets) and have it fit properly. Students may also bring in their current helmet and have that checked for fit.
After they have learned all about helmets and protecting their brains, our partners from Grand Forks Optimist Club will host a bike rodeo. This amazing opportunity gives these students a chance to practice safe operation of their bike, how to start and stop properly, and how to signal turns. It even includes a quick maintenance, check of their bike to determine if there are any issues needing to be addressed.
We are so grateful to Grand Forks Optimist Club for being such an amazing partner in this effort to make sure kids are safe on their wheels!
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When bicycling, you can ignore certain stop signs – legally. Wait…What?!?
As a general rule of thumb, age 10 and less should still be taught to always stop at stop signs (all intersections). This is an age that transitioning from sidewalk riding to venturing out on the road commonly occurs. There is no magic that happens once you reach age 11. Parents and guardians should be aware of the bike riding skills and abilities of their young bicyclists.
Read full article submitted by our partner Earl Haugen
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Baby Safety month
September is baby safety month. See these articles about safe sleep and tv tip overs to learn more tips on how to keep your baby safe in September and all year long.
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Fire Prevention Week is October 7 - 13, 2023 | |
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This year’s Fire Prevention Week™ campaign, “Cooking safety starts with YOU. Pay attention to fire prevention™,” works to educate everyone about simple but important actions they can take to keep themselves and those around them safe when cooking.
Resources are available to share with your family or agency.
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Parents and caregivers,
cooking is the number 1 cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Fire Prevention Week is a perfect time to complete this cooking safety checklist together.
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Our partners at the North Dakota Brain Injury Network, housed at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, has set the date for the annual Virtual Concussion Symposium. This will take place on National Concussion Awareness Day - September 15, 2023. This event is FREE and features great speakers/experts on the topic and offers continuing education credits for many healthcare disciplines. This symposium is open to healthcare providers, survivors of concussions, sports personnel and caregivers to those living with a brain injury. Sign up today!
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Last year, several generous donors picked Safe Kids Grand Forks to support with their Thrivent Choice Dollars. If you are a Thrivent member, we would love to visit with you about how you can help Safe Kids Grand Forks and our injury prevention work.
Contact Carma at [email protected] for more details. It doesn't cost members anything and it helps support our work. . . . . WIN - WIN!!
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Since 1957, United Way of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Area has been dedicated to providing our neighbors with opportunities to thrive within the Greater Grand Forks region. Today, we strive to enhance the lives of children and families living in our community through a series of direct service programs including the Backpack Program, Kidz Closet and Families First. The United Way is actively working to address critical needs, enhance educational opportunities, and foster a spirit of collaboration among local organizations. Learn More
For more information regarding our programs and services and ways you can support our initiatives, please visit our website at givegfegf.org
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