Every 33 seconds a child under 13 is involved in a car crash in the United States, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Safety seats, if used correctly, can dramatically reduce the risk of fatality or injury. But 59 percent of car seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness, and over one-third of children killed in car crashes were completely unrestrained at the time of the crash. Today, NHTSA and the Ad Council unveiled a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of selecting the right seat for their child’s age and size, and to remind them that car seats, booster seats and seat belts offer the best protection for children in crashes and help save lives.
“Life can change in an instant. We want parents and caregivers to prepare for the unexpected, rather than face their worst nightmare,” said Dr. Mark Rosekind, NHTSA administrator. “Buckling up a child correctly and in the right seat is the best protection any parent can do to see their child walk away unharmed from a car crash.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7774451-ad-council-find-the-right-seat/
With 830 women dying every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, and over 16,000 children under age five dying daily, Bayer and the White Ribbon Alliance today released critical policy recommendations and launched community programs to support the reduction and prevention of maternal, newborn and child mortality in two developing countries.1,2
Established through a three-year $1.3 million commitment from Bayer, these programs will expand work conducted by White Ribbon Alliance in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to support the United Nations Secretary General’s Every Woman Every Child movement.
This announcement comes at the one-year anniversary of the Bayer/White Ribbon Alliance commitment in support of the Every Woman Every Child movement and will contribute to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/77126510-bayer-white-ribbon-alliance-self-care/
The latest booster seat ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that child seat manufacturers have mastered something that once eluded them: building a seat that provides good safety belt fit for the typical 4-¬ to 8-¬year-¬old passenger.
Out of 53 new models evaluated, 48 earn the top rating of BEST BET, meaning they are likely to provide good belt fit for a 4 to 8 year-¬old in almost any car, minivan or SUV. When the Institute first began rating boosters in 2008, only a quarter of the seats evaluated earned the BEST BET designation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting pregnant women about the risks of listeriosis, a foodborne disease that can severely affect a pregnant women and her unborn child.
Listeria can affect all races and ethnic groups, but pregnant women are 10 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis due to hormonal changes that affect the immune system during pregnancy. Pregnant Hispanic women are about 24 times more likely than the general population to get listeriosis. A pregnant mother may pass Listeria onto her unborn baby without even knowing it because she doesn’t feel sick at all, yet the disease can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labor, the delivery of a low birthweight infant, a wide range of health problems for a newborn, or even infant death.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7953451-fda-listeriosis-prevention-pregnant-women/
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization that produces Sesame Street, and IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced a collaboration to use IBM Watson’s cognitive computing technology and Sesame’s early childhood expertise to help advance preschool education around the world.
As part of a three-year agreement, Sesame Workshop and IBM will collaborate to develop educational platforms and products that will be designed to adapt to the learning preferences and aptitude levels of individual preschoolers. Research shows that a significant extent of brain development occurs in the first five years of a child’s life1, making this window critical for learning and development.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7724251-sesame-workshop-ibm-watson-early-childhood-education/
Following years of trying to expand their family, Lisa and James Park of Raleigh, NC were named the winning family in Ferring Pharmaceuticals’ 2014 Heart to Heart Video Contest. This marks the tenth year Ferring has provided educational grants through patient contests, giving parents who have struggled with infertility the chance to win thousands of dollars for their child’s education by sharing their story.
Lisa and James’ rollercoaster journey to parenthood included multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF), intrauterine insemination (IUI) and a frozen embryo transfer. They hope that by sharing their story and video, they can help raise awareness about infertility and provide hope for others facing similar struggles. You can view Park family’s full video at www.hearttoheartcontest.com.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7444651-ferring-pharmaceuticals-heart-to-heart/
Bright Starts™ introduces a fun new metric, the Baby Laugh Index™, in tandem with the launch of three new toys designed to inspire laughter. The inspirations for the focus on laughter are the three new baby toys from the Bright Starts Having a Ball™ collection: 3-in-1 Step ’N; Ride Lion™, Hide ’N Spin Monkey™ and Jungle Fun Ball Climber™. Teaming up with Gina Mireault, Ph.D. professor of psychology and counseling behavior sciences at Johnson State College and researcher of humor and emotional development in children, Bright Starts seeks to emphasize the importance of laughter in infant development.
To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7251151-bright-starts-tm-introduces-fun-new-baby-laugh-index/
Reporter McKenzie McClendon is tracking her next story, a sadistic killer known as The Cradle Robber, a murderer leaving pregnant women to die and disappearing with their babies. Now, a child’s future hangs in the balance. Five lives careen toward a terrifying collision. McKenzie must discover which key will unlock the puzzle, and which will get her killed. Learn more about this book and Author http://www.colbymarshall.com Thriller
Children with physical disabilities are twice as likely to be bullied, impacting their educational, physical and emotional development.* In support of National Bullying Prevention Month this October, Shriners Hospitals for Children® and award-winning actor, model and philanthropist, RJ Mitte, are once again partnering to encourage the public to help #CutTheBull.
Teens and adults alike are encouraged to visit CutTheBull.org and see how they can help create a more positive, accepting environment for kids living with disabilities. There, Shriners Hospitals will announce “RJ's Heroes”, honoring individuals who have helped reduce bullying in their communities. Supporters can also share their anti-bullying stories and purchase #CutTheBull t-shirts, with proceeds going to Shriners Hospitals for Children to provide life-changing care to kids.
Born with cerebral palsy, Mitte was bullied as a child and knows firsthand the effects it can have. The doctors and staff at Shriners Hospitals for Children helped Mitte overcome many of the physical effects of cerebral palsy, which made him stronger and able to succeed despite the bullying. Now a successful actor and model, Mitte wants to help other kids with disabilities who may be experiencing the same thing.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7559151-shriners-hospital-cut-the-bull/
In December 2012, we posted an OnSafety blog, warning of furniture, television and appliance-related tip-over incidents. At that time, CPSC reported nearly 350 deaths, most involving young children. Since then, more than 80 people have died when a dresser, TV, bookcase, table, appliance or other large item tipped over and fell on them. A new report from our staff indicates that 430 tragic deaths occurred between 2000 and 2013, and an estimated 38,000 annual injuries, many of which were serious, from 2011 through 2013.
In most of the incidents, a child was crushed by the product or struck on the head by the product. What is remarkable is the number of families who have turned tragedy into advocacy. Jackie Collas, a Philadelphia-area resident, is using social media to honor her son, Curren, and encourage parents to anchor their furniture. Lisa Seifert of Chicago created Shane’s Foundation to honor her precious son and to increase awareness, education and safety.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7085251-cpsc-reports-430-tip-over-deaths-anchor-it-and-protect-a-child/
Vestergaard, a global company dedicated to improving the health of disadvantaged people, launched its LifeStraw® Follow the Liters program in Kenya this month. As part of this program, high-volume LifeStraw® Community water purifiers have been distributed to provide more than 23 million liters of safe water a year to over 125,000 school children throughout Kenya’s western province.
The distribution is made possible through the LifeStraw® Follow the Liters program which harnesses the collective power of individuals to help solve one of the world’s most pressing issues – lack of access to safe drinking water for people in developing countries. When a consumer purchases any LifeStraw® product, a portion of the funds are used to provide one school child in a developing country with safe drinking water for an entire school year.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7351651-vestergaard-lifestraw-follow-the-liters-program-kenya-safe-water/
Buckling precious cargo into a late-model vehicle has gotten a bit easier in the past year, the Institute’s LATCH ease-of-use ratings show.
IIHS launched its ratings of child seat installation hardware in vehicles in June 2015. Out of 102 vehicles rated at that time, the majority were poor or marginal. Today, a total of 170 current models have been evaluated, and most are good or acceptable. Three models — the Audi Q7, Lexus RX and Toyota Prius — earn the top rating of good+, a distinction that no vehicle achieved last year.
A properly installed, age-appropriate child restraint can protect a child much better in a crash than a safety belt alone. LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, is intended to make it easier for caregivers to install child restraints properly. Child restraints installed with LATCH are more likely to be put in correctly than restraints installed using the vehicle safety belt, IIHS research has shown.
Even with LATCH, installation errors are common. The Institute’s ratings are based on key ease-of-use criteria that have been shown to minimize mistakes.
