Golisano Children's Hospital

Keeping Kids Safe

There is nothing quite like holding your newborn baby for the first time. All at once your heart is filled with such love for this tiny person. You want nothing more than to hold them close and to keep them safe always. But, before you know it, this small, utterly dependent baby is an adventurous toddler, a precocious preschooler, and almost overnight becomes a determined teenager. And even though they grow up, as parents we never lose that desire to keep them close to us—and to keep them safe.

Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester

The Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester is a child injury prevention program centered at the University of Rochester Medical Center Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Department of Emergency Medicine. The main goal of the local program, which is funded in part by Kohl’s Cares for Kids, is to reduce the incidence and severity of childhood injury in the greater Rochester metropolitan area. With the help of local organizations and agencies, Injury Free conducts traveling bike safety rodeos, home safety awareness initiatives and seasonal public safety announcements aimed at children and parents. The organization, with the generous support of the Allstate Foundation and the City of Rochester, has also built two safe playgrounds in neighborhoods that desperately needed them.

In our day and age, we hear so much about various frightening diseases, that we often worry about keeping our children healthy. The fact is, more children are killed or injured accidentally than from all childhood diseases combined. The good news is—we can do something about it. Through education and simple preventive steps, we can keep our children safe.

Following is information on the most common threats to our children. Review this information with your child, and help him/her to take responsibility for his/her safety. You will be encouraging them to start a lifetime of healthy and safe habits.