Safe Kids Week

Each year, Safe Kids Canada hosts a national campaign known as Safe Kids Week. This week is designated to raise the awareness of child injuries and to coordinate and support local community initiatives.

Northern Health, as a member of the British Columbia Injury Prevention Leadership and Action Network (BCIPLAN), is proud to support Safe Kids Week 2009. This year, the focus of Safe Kids Week is Home Product Safety, a leading cause of injury-related death to Canadian children.

For more information please visit the Safe Kids Canada web site at www.safekidscanada.ca

Injury Prevention Program

While injuries can all be classified as intentional or unintentional, they are not ‘accidents’. Injuries tend to occur in similar, predictable patterns and it’s estimated that as many as 90% of them can be prevented.

In BC, preventable injuries are among the leading causes of death and hospitalization across all age groups and those numbers are even higher among northern BC residents.

For some injury prevention tips, check out the following:

• Booster seats for children
• Protect your and your family in cold weather
• Halloween safety tricks
• Tips to safely enjoy hot summer weather and avoid heat-related health problems
• Practicing safe water fun
• Safety tips for injury-free camping

What is the Injury Prevention Program?

Northern Health’s Injury Prevention Program focuses on initiatives, programs and community partnerships that focus on building awareness of the burden of injuries in our communities and supporting prevention strategies aimed at reducing the high rate of injuries in Northern BC.

Program Goals

• Promote a culture of safety awareness and value throughout the lifespan.
• Support the development of community based injury prevention strategies.
• Facilitate the development of a regional network among stakeholders.
• Stimulate development of local and regional strategic injury prevention plans.

What We Offer

• Grants are offered on a yearly basis to community groups across Northern Health that commit to initiating and promoting sustainable injury prevention strategies based on community-identified needs.
• Resources and information for health care professionals, child care workers, school districts, non-profit organizations, municipalities, etc. who are working to increase awareness of injury prevention among the public.
• Access to research and best practices in injury prevention through various regional, provincial and national organizations that specialize in the business of developing, promoting and evaluating injury prevention strategies.

Program Contacts

If you would like information or resources about injury prevention, please feel free to call your local health unit or contact us directly: