Skip to main content

Safe Kids West Oregon

Safe Kids West Oregon logo

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 community's needs, this coalition implements evidence-based programs, safety workshops, and injury prevention strategies, that help parents and caregivers prevent childhood injuries.

Our Priorities

  • Safe child transportation in/on motorized vehicles
  • Safe bicycling/sports participation with an emphasis on head injury reduction
  • Home hazard mitigation with an emphasis on gun safety

Sponsoring Organization

  • PeaceHealth SHMC RiverBend Trauma Services
  • Children's Miracle Network-PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend
  • Coalition Partners
    • Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST)
    • Cornerstone Community Housing
    • Eugene Family YMCA
    • Eugene Police Department
    • Eugene Springfield Public Safe Routes to Schools
    • Parenting Now!
    • PeaceHealth SHMC Pediatrics
    • PeaceHealth SHMC RiverBend Trauma Services
    • Vision Zero Workgroup
    • Willamalane Park and Recreation District

Child Safety Resources

Child Home Safety

Preventing slips and falls. Anyone can be injured by a trip and a fall in the home or yard, prevent them by:

  • Keeping walkways clear.
  • Keeping electrical cords from crossing walkways or running under rugs.
  • Make sure your throw rugs can’t slip/slide.

Medication and Household Product Safety: 

  • Keep all medications, cleaners, chemicals, and batteries up and out of reach of children or locked away.
  • Use cabinet locks if any of these items are kept in lower cabinets.
  • Keep the POISON CONTROL number 1-800-222-1222 in your cell phone and posted on the refrigerator in your home.
  • See poison.org for more information.

Water Safety: Drowning prevention:

  • Empty cleaning buckets, wading pools, and other containers that hold water.
  • Always have fences at least five feet high around pools, including above-ground pools.
  • Always supervise kids in and around the water.
  • See safekids.org/water safety

Sleep Safety:

  • Babies should sleep on their backs for the first 12 months of life.
  • Room share with your baby for the first 6-12 months of life.
  • Don’t co-sleep.
  • Use a firm mattress with a fitted crib sheet, and nothing else in the sleep space (including bumpers, pillows and soft or loose bedding).
  • Sleep positioners such as wedges should not be used in the sleep space.

Window Safety: Open windows attract young curious children:

  • Allow windows to be open no more than four inches by using window locks, guards or stops to prevent falls.
  • Keep furniture away from the second story and higher windows to prevent climbing.
  • See stopat4.com for more great tips!

Stair Safety:

  • Child gates placed to the top and bottom of stairs can prevent falls.
  • Install lights and light switches on walls near the top and bottom of the stairs.

Burn Safety:

  • Do not hold a child while cooking at the stove.
  • Keep all pots on back burners with handles faced away from the edge.
  • Keep hot liquids away from the edges of the counters.
  • Don’t leave children alone in rooms with space heaters.
  • Water heater temperature should be set to 120 degrees or less to prevent scalding.

Fire/Carbon Monoxide Safety:

  • Have a fire escape plan with your family with at least two exit routes and practice regularly.
  • Have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of the house, test alarms monthly and change batteries at least annually.
  • Store flammable liquids away from heat sources.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher on every floor.
  • Keep space heaters away from furniture, beds and curtains.

Furniture and Television Safety:

  • Use anti-tip straps, braces, or brackets to help prevent furniture from falling over if a child is climbing on it.
  • Mount flat screen televisions to the wall to prevent them from tipping over.

Electrical Safety:

  • Use electrical outlet covers with mobile infant and toddlers in the home.
  • Check for frayed wires.
  • Keep wires out of reach of small children.
  • Make sure there are no cords under rugs or across doorways.

Choking/Strangulation Safety:

  • Keep small objects out of reach and sight of children. Look for and remove all small objects at eye level.
  • Children can choke on objects smaller than a toilet paper roll.
  • Keep cords and strings out of the reach of children, especially window blind cords and strings.

Driveway Safety:

  • Ensure kids are not near the car when it is moving, especially when it is backing up.
  • Have appropriate de-icing supplies or traction items (sand or salt) available for icy weather.

Gun Safety:

  •  Store guns unloaded in a locked gun safe. Keep a gun lock on the firearm and store the ammunition separately.
Safety Resources
Distracted Driving Simulator

Facing the Consequences Drives Home Learning

One Simple Decision® allows students to experience first-hand the dangers and consequences of distracted and impaired driving through interactions with real law officers, judges, ER personnel and doctors. The program consists of simulation drives, first-person consequence videos, interactive quizzes, and advice from the experts known as the Reality Check videos.

Changing Behavior is Needed

When it comes to distracted driving, young people are among the most likely to text and talk behind the wheel. One Simple Decision® is the world’s first simulation-based impaired & distracted driving program designed to prevent destructive driving behaviors among teens and young adults.

One Simple Decision also tracks driving violations real time displaying them on the screen as they occur. Driving violations captured include speeding, swerving, running stop signs or signal lights, making wrong turns, driving in the bike or center lanes, etc.

Contact us for more information

Email: jcole3@peacehealth.org 
Phone:  541-222-1794