In recognition of National Heatstroke Prevention Day on July 31, The Unterberg Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center and Safe Kids New Jersey, led by Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, hosted a "Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car: Preventing Heatstroke in Cars" event and demonstration on July 30.
The Unterberg Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center leads Monmouth County's first and only chapter of the Safe Kids International Campaign - an initiative to prevent injuries
and save young lives. The county-based chapter is among more than 500 grassroots partnerships throughout the world associated with Safe Kids, the first nonprofit organization dedicated solely
to the prevention of unintentional childhood injury or accidents - the No. 1 killer of children 14 and under.
Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car: Preventing Heatstroke in Car took place at Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant in Long Branch as part of Safe Kids Worldwide's "Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car" campaign and included an actual 911 audio recording and a parking lot demonstration with the Long Branch Police of how quickly the temperature rises inside a parked car.
As temperatures across the country continue to escalate above average highs, it is more important than ever to understand the health effects for children. Infants and young children are particularly sensitive to the effects of extreme heat and must rely on others to keep them safe. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child's body temperature can increase three to five times as quickly as an adult's.
On average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. These deaths are preventable, and everyone in the community, especially Head Start and child care providers, has a role to play in protecting our children. Here are a few simple things you can do:
- Make it part of your everyday routine to account for all children in your care. Set up backup systems to check and double-check that no child is left in the vehicle.
- Always make a habit of looking in the vehicle-front and back-before locking the door and walking away.
- Create reminders to ensure that no child is accidentally left behind in the vehicle. Place an item that is needed at your final destination in the back of the vehicle next to the child or place a stuffed animal in the driver's view to indicate that a child is in the car seat.
- Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately if you see a child alone in a hot vehicle. If he or she is in distress due to heat, get the child out as soon as possible and cool him or her down rapidly.
- Get in touch with designated family members if a child who is regularly in your care does not arrive as expected.
To learn other tips to stay safe this summer visit the Barnabas Health online Health Library at healthlibrary.barnabashealth.org.