REMSA Pediatric Trauma Care in Pre-hospital Settings

Air Date: 5/26/2003

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Injuries cause more fatalities among children than all diseases combined. Through a generous grant donation from the Kiwanis Clubs of Reno, REMSA has been able to upgrade equipment to meet national standards and improve pediatric trauma care in pre-hospital settings during an emergency. The new equipment includes new car seats on pedestals where children will ride more safely in the ambulance during an emergency transport and upgraded alpha bags which organize pediatric equipment according to the national color coded standard.

FACTS

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under nationwide according to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
• Motor vehicle crashes take more lives than disease, violence and suicide.
• According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, in 1999, approximately 1,684 children ages 14 and under died in motor vehicle crashes. Additionally, in 2000, more than 240,000 children were injured as occupants in motor vehicles.
• National SAFE KIDS has identified that 75 percent of motor vehicle crashes occur within 25 miles of home and 60 percent of crashes occur on roads with posted speed limits of 40 mph or less. Because of these statistics, it is vital that children are transported safely from accident scenes to area hospitals in appropriate child safety seats.
• According to the National SAFE KIDS campaign, 99% of all children eight years and under are improperly restrained and locally in Washoe County, 98% of children are improperly restrained.
• According to SAFE KIDS, Children ages 2 to 5 who are restrained in adult safety belts are three and a half times more likely to suffer a serious injury and more than four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury, than children of the same ages who are restrained in child safety seats.
• Since 1998, REMSA has inspected 4,230 car seats and found only 143 to be correctly installed.

Additional Resources

Kiwanis International

450 Edison Way Reno, Nevada 89502 (775)858-5700 Fax (775)858-5720