(Eugene, Ore.)— For the last 10 years, dedicated volunteers from the Eugene Police Department have made time each month to ensure that local infants, toddlers and young children are riding safely in their car seats.
At the EPD’s monthly Car Seat Clinics, these volunteers—all of them certified child passenger technicians—will inspect your child’s car seat or booster for proper installation, check for recalls, demonstrate safe installation and maintenance practices and answer any questions about child passenger safety.
At the next Car Seat Clinic this Thursday, March 29, clinic sponsors Safe Kids West Oregon and PeaceHealth will honor these valued volunteers at an awards celebration. The celebration starts at 3:30 p.m., with the free Car Seat Clinic to follow at 4 p.m. Both will be held at Eugene Fire Station 2, 1705 W. Second Ave.
“Each of these volunteers first has to complete a rigorous, three- to four-day certification course that includes exams and hands-on skill assessments,” said Jim Cole, injury prevention and EMS coordinator for PeaceHealth Oregon Network and a member of the Safe Kids West Oregon coalition. “We so appreciate their commitment to child safety and their invaluable expertise.”
According to Safe Kids Worldwide, three out of four car seats are not used or installed correctly. Properly installed car seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.
At monthly clinics over the last 10 years, the EPD’s car seat technicians have installed more than 2,400 seats and provided more than 1,000 seats to families in need. They’ve installed another 500 outside of the clinics.
“That’s an incredible gift to this community,” Cole added. “We look forward to recognizing them publicly for their great work.”
While most of the car seat techs are EPD employees, a few are affiliated with other EMS providers or are simply community members with a passion for child safety.
To learn more about the program, including the dates of upcoming car seat clinics, visit www.peacehealth.org/safekidseugene-police-car-seat-clinic.
Media opportunity: Reporters are welcome to observe proper installations and speak to car seat technicians, EPD officials and members of the Safe Kids West Oregon coalition before or after the awards celebration. The Car Seat Clinic will immediately follow at 4 p.m.
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About PeaceHealth: Based in Vancouver, Wash., PeaceHealth is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend is one of Oregon's busiest hospitals located in Springfield, Ore., 110 miles south of Portland. This 351-bed facility is one of the largest hospitals between Portland and San Francisco, serving as a Level II Trauma Center for an eight-county region. Key services for the not-for-profit hospital include cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, oncology, orthopedics, neonatal intensive care, neurosurgery and other specialized surgical services. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
About Safe Kids West Oregon: Safe Kids West Oregon is led by PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, which provides dedicated and caring staff, operation support and other resources to assist in achieving our common goal: Keeping your kids safe. Based on the needs of the community, this coalition implements evidence-based programs, such as car-seat checkups, safety workshops and sports clinics, that help parents and caregivers prevent childhood injuries.
