Dr. Carol Lewis, medical director of Hasbro Children’s Hospital Pediatric Primary Care program, and Dr. Christopher Ottiano, medical director at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, team up to provide history, details and data relating to the “Give Me a Boost!” pediatric car safety seat program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. The effort is a partnership between the hospital and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.
PBN: Why did Neighborhood decide to support Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s “Give Me A Boost!” Pediatric Primary Care Program?
OTTIANO: As a health plan focused on the most vulnerable populations in Rhode Island,
Neighborhood is always looking for ways to level the playing field when it comes to health equity. One of the best ways we can achieve this is by partnering with organizations who are equally committed to improving and protecting the health of at-risk Rhode Islanders. It’s a “better together” kind of philosophy. That philosophy, combined with good timing, a clear alignment of goals and an established working relationship with Hasbro Children’s Hospital Pediatric Primary Care, led to this important collaboration.
Our CEO, Peter Marino, had joined me for a tour of HCH Pediatric Primary Care, where we learned that they had just lost the grant they had been counting on to fund the “Give Me a Boost!” program. It took us about a half-second to decide that an initiative with such a strong focus on childhood safety was one we wanted to play an active role in.
We understood the toll motor vehicle crashes were having on children who were unrestrained or improperly restrained, and we wanted to be a part of the solution by breaking down barriers to childhood car safety. Given that approximately 82% of the members we serve are Medicaid-eligible, we knew that economic barriers, as well as language, education and cultural barriers, were getting in the way of disadvantaged parents’ abilities to keep their children safe in motor vehicles.
Our response was to support the overall program by providing critical resources and educational materials. Neighborhood funded the purchase of approximately 700 car seats, 2,000 booster seats, and educational handouts and signage in six different languages that highlight car seat and booster seat safety.
The educational component of this partnership was essential to us, as well as to the clinical team at HCH Pediatric Primary Care. The program is not simply about giving away car seats and booster seats. It’s about giving parents the tools and resources they need to be educated and empowered to use child restraints properly to keep their children safe.
The fact that this education takes place by trusted health care providers during well-child appointments at HCH Pediatric Primary Care and through referrals to the Injury Prevention Center, makes the program especially powerful.
PBN: Are the free booster and car seats only available to Neighborhood members or to anyone?
OTTIANO: The booster and car seats, as well as the educational materials that reinforce the “Give Me a Boost!” program, are intended to meet the needs of underserved children across the state. That includes both Neighborhood members and nonmembers.
What is most important to Neighborhood, in thinking about the immense toll of motor vehicle crashes on children, is that this collaboration with HCH Pediatric Primary Care reduces the risk of injury and death to children by providing access to and education on child restraint devices.
Since HCH Pediatric Primary Care serves nearly 5,000 patients between 5 and 8 years old, and their well-child visits are leveraged as opportunities to screen families in need of car and booster seats, as well as provide education on car safety and Rhode Island laws, we always knew this program had a high likelihood of success. In fact, based on the data HCH has collected to date, the program has already made a significant and measurable impact.
PBN: What have doctors found as some of the main reasons that kids aren’t in the appropriate car or booster seats?
LEWIS: Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Primary Care learned that of their patients
who needed a booster seat, close to 60% were using only a seatbelt to restrain their child and about 20% were not using any restraint at all. The primary reason was lack of awareness that children who are under 4 feet, 9 inches tall and 80 pounds should use a booster seat.
Other reasons for not using a booster or car seat included being unable to afford one or having other difficulty accessing one.
PBN: Roughly what percentage of emergency room visits at Hasbro Children’s are caused by injuries from car crashes? Do you have an idea of how many of those injured kids weren’t in the proper car or booster seat?
LEWIS: Motor vehicle crashes are a major cause of child mortalities and the third-most
common cause for injury-related visits. In one study that looked at Level 1 pediatric trauma center patients treated for a motor vehicle crash injury, about 50% had been properly restrained in a car or booster seat. Booster seats have been shown to reduce the risk of injury to children by 45-59% when compared to seat belt usage alone.
PBN: What are some of the major milestones that the “Give Me a Boost!” program has hit?
LEWIS: Since the program’s implementation two years ago, there has been success
across all domains. Over 500 free car seats and booster seats have been distributed through the Pediatric Primary Care Clinic and the Injury Prevention Center at Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children’s Hospital; several resident-run lectures were given to the pediatric residency program; and the electronic medical record for 5- to 8-year-old well-child appointments was updated to include a specific section on safety seat counseling.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.
