NorthShore Health Centers Helps Drive The Way to Car Seat Safety

NorthShore-CarSeat-1NorthShore Health Centers in Lake Station had their car seat clinic on Saturday morning. This educational event not only provided new car seats for children, but also taught parents the correct way to use and when to dispose of their old car seats. Members of the community were able to line their cars in the parking lot at the Health Center and get their car seats checked by the certified car seat technicians.

“The goal of the car seat clinic is to make sure anyone who attends have properly installed car seats and car seats that are up to date and not expired,” Director of marketing, Tricia Hall said. “About 73% of car seats are used or installed improperly either because they don't know or they can't afford a replacement. If people in the community do not have the resources to purchase the proper car seat, NorthShore has some available or we refer them to other community agencies that provide this service.”

A grant through Indiana University Automotive Safety helps NorthShore helps provide the new car seats for both infants and toddlers. The old seats had their straps cut to make sure no one could still use them, and were replaced by the new ones.

NorthShore-CarSeat-3“This event is important because we are able to reach out to families who may not have the funds to get their child a safe car seat. Also, we want to educated the families on the importance of the proper car seat for their child,” Neonatal care and OB GYN nurse manager, Evelyn Turner said

Problems that can make a car seat less effective include keeping a child in a car seat longer than they are supposed to be, causing a weight limit problem. This means having the correct size seat for a child, where many times the child will be too small for their seat, leaving them unprotected.

The certified car seat technicians took a look at each car seat, checked to see if the car seat was expired, asked whether the seat has been in an accident, and checked the manufacturers recommendations of each seat. The technicians also weighed and measured each child to accurately tell if it was time for a new seat.

NorthShore-CarSeat-2“We were told how car seats have expiration dates and decided to get our seats checked out,” Parent Matthew Kaericher, said.

The goal for NorthShore Health Centers was to make sure that every child left the event safer than when they arrived. Whether it was getting them a new seat, adjusting one they already had or educating the parents, every child left there in a seat that could help keep them safe.