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Three Washington, D.C. Area Hospital Emergency Departments Receive Child Safety Seats From Emergency Nurses Care and GEICO

1 June 2000

Three Washington, D.C. Area Hospital Emergency Departments Receive Child Safety Seats From Emergency Nurses Care and GEICO
    WASHINGTON, June 1 The emergency departments of Children's
National Medical Center, Greater Southeast Community Hospital and Howard
University Hospital in Washington, D.C., received child safety seats today to
protect children discharged from the hospitals if the parents or guardians
have no safety seats for the ride home.
    Emergency Nurses CARE (EN CARE), and GEICO, the nation's largest direct
marketer of auto insurance, joined in a pilot program to offer the child
safety seats to the hospitals. EN CARE trained the emergency department staffs
in the proper use and installation of child safety seats and GEICO provided a
grant for the program. Each hospital received a total of 10 child safety
seats; five convertible, two infant and three booster.
    As part of the education and training offered by EN CARE, a free child
safety seat check for the public was held today at GEICO's headquarters in
Chevy Chase, Md.
    "A recent study found that 82 percent of car seats are misused in some
way, " said Benjamin Marett, president of the Emergency Nurses Association.
"That is why we view our mission of public education as critical. Through our
training, emergency department staffs can help parents and guardians properly
use child safety seats."
    "GEICO is very pleased to join with the emergency health care
professionals at EN CARE, to fulfill this community need, " said David
Schindler, senior vice president for GEICO. "The need was brought to our
attention by a GEICO associate who had an emergency department visit with her
child and no child safety seats were available for the ride home. Then we
learned from EN CARE that hospital emergency departments face this need every
day."
    EN CARE is a national, non-profit injury prevention organization whose
mission is to reduce preventable injuries and deaths by educating the public
to raise awareness and promote healthy lifestyles. EN CARE was founded by
Barbara Foley and Pam Bell in 1981, two emergency room nurses at the
University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, Mass., after another
weekend of treating fractures, lacerations, serious head trauma and internal
injuries resulting from drinking and driving. Today, EN CARE has grown from
two concerned people to a nationwide movement with local chapters around the
country.
    In 1995, EN CARE joined forces with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)
as its Injury Prevention Institute. EN CARE programs include: Child Passenger
Safety; Alcohol Awareness, Crash Course; Collaborative Approach to Injury
Prevention; Poloroid Family Violence Prevention; and Gun Safety, It's No
Accident.
    ENA is an international organization committed to the advancement and
enhancement of the emergency nursing practice. The focus of the association is
providing quality continuing education, supporting nursing research, promoting
the profession and sponsoring public safety programs.