Free Child Car Seat Check-ups

DERBY - Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley, Griffin Hospital and D’Addario Automotive Group of Shelton are teaming up to offer free child car seat checkups on Sat., July 14 from 10 a.m.-noon at D’Addario, 329 Bridgeport Ave., Shelton.

 

Child car seat experts will check seats to make sure they are installed correctly and provide proper protection.

 

To sign up or for more information, contact Cathi Kellett at 203-732-1337 or ckellett@griffinhealth.org.

 

(This is a press release from Griffin Hospital)

Valley Volunteers Honored

Cathi Kellett and Officer Mike Barry

DERBY - Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley Coalition recently marked its 5^th anniversary and honored its dedicated volunteers with a dinner at Griffin Hospital in Derby.

 

Operating within Griffin Hospital’s Community Outreach Program, Safe Kids Naugatuck Valley is part of Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization working to help families and communities keep kids safe from injuries.

The local program was became a chapter 2004 and developed into a coalition under Safe Kids CT. In 2013, the program grew to include many Naugatuck Valley towns and became its own stand-alone coalition.



Cathi Kellett and Michele Holovach

 

Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley Coalition educates children and adults on variety of health and safety programs to reduce unintentional injuries among children. Program topics include anti-bullying, germ protection, teen distracted driving, bicycle and wheeled sport safety, anti-tobacco use, child passenger safety, exercise and sports safety, and internet safety.

 

Ansonia Police Officer Michael Barry, and Michele Holovach and Jamie Peterson, of TEAM, Inc., received the Volunteer Excellence Award.

 

Officer Barry has volunteered with Safe Kids since 2006 and has been very active in programs involving child passenger safety, teen driving, pedestrian safety, poison prevention, and anti-bullying.

 

“At any given community health fair, program at Griffin Hospital or in one of the Ansonia schools, Officer Barry offers his guidance, support, expertise - and most of all his time - to bring quality programs to our community to ensure safe, happy and healthy children and families,” said Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley Coalition Coordinator Cathi Kellett.

 

Holovach and Peterson have been essential in coordinating with Head Start classrooms in Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, Seymour, and Beacon Falls, to bring Safe Kids’ health and safety programs to more than 250 students every month throughout the school year. Additionally, they support major grant projects to fit every child with a new car seat and bike helmet, provide concussion protocols and water safety programs, and educate parents and caregivers at regular dinners throughout the year.

 

“Their collaboration is instrumental in keeping Safe Kids constantly moving forward.” Kellett said. “They are a vital part of our success.”

 

For more information about Safe Kids Naugatuck Valley, visit griffinhealth.org/safe-kids or contact Kellett at 203-732-1337 or ckellett@griffinhealth.org.

 

(This is a press release from Griffin Hospital)

Car seat check-up slated in Shelton

SHELTON - Make sure your infant or child car seat is installed correctly at a free Car Seat Check-up from 10 a.m. -1 p.m. July 27 at Mario D’Addario Buick, GMC, Cadillac, 29 Bridgeport Ave.

Hosted by Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley, Griffin Hospital’s Valley Parish Nurses and Mario D’Addario Buick, GMC, Cadillac, this event offers car seat checks and instruction on how to properly install child safety seats from Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

Results from previous safety seat checks have shown that four out of five car seats are used incorrectly.
For information, call 203-732-1337.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Clinic teaches child safety, distributes car seats

Safe Kids, Valley parish nurses host event

Easton Police Officer Mark Pastore secures Charlize Wallace into her new car seat. / Contributed photo

 

More than 75 children from the Valley will be traveling safer thanks to a car seat clinic Thursday.

 

Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley and Griffin Hospital Valley Parish Nurse Program hosted the car seat clinic at the Head Start TEAM Early Care and Education Center at 80 Howard Ave., Ansonia. Combining grants from BJ’s Charitable Foundation and Safe Kids USA, they were able to have a complete child safety education program that culminated in the distribution of 76 car seats.

“With the money from BJ’s and Safe Kids, we were able to have an entire educational program for the parents here which included pedestrian safety as well as car safety,” said Cathi Kellett, Coordinator for Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley and Special Programs Coordinator for Griffin Hospital Valley Parish Nurse Program. 
“To be eligible for a car seat, parents had to go through all of the classes and complete a post-test on all of the safety information. Today, we are able to give out 76 car seats to families in need.”

Car seat recipient Nicole Souza wasn’t aware her 4-year-old daughter Charlize Wallace still needed to be in a car seat until she was recently pulled over by local police. 

“Thankfully they gave me a warning, and I was able to participate in this program,” Souza said. “[Charlize] hasn’t been in a car seat since she outgrew her old one about a year ago.”

Kellett, along with school staff, gathered information from the parents ahead of time such as the children’s height and weight so they could have the correct seats prepped for installation at the clinic. The seats were installed by Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, who undergo continuous training to maintain their title.

“We go through about 40 hours of training and have to recertify every two years,” said Mary Swansiger, Outreach Coordinator for Griffin Hospital Valley Parish Nurse Program. “During that two-year period, we have to work at various community events to keep our skills up, and have to practice on all five types of car seats.”


This information is taken from a release from Griffin Hospital. 

Griffin to host child passenger safety clinic

DERBY - Make sure your infant or child car seat is installed correctly at a Child Passenger Safety Clinic from 4-7 p.m. May 22, 4 Mountain St.
Hosted by the Griffin Hospital’s Safe Kids Greater Naugatuck Valley Chapter, this clinic offers car seat checks and instruction on how to properly install child safety seats from Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.
The Chapter hosts car safety seat clinics throughout the year with the help of a grant from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation.
Appointments are encouraged; call 203-732-1337. There will be a limited number of free car seats given to those who qualify.
The hospital is at 130 Division St. and the clinic at 4 Mountain St. is across from the hospital.  

The above is taken from a release from Griffin Hospital.