By Brenda Erdahl
The Wright County Health and Human Services (HHS) Child Passenger Safety Program received a boost in its efforts to keep young children safe while traveling on the roads.
At the Tuesday July 2, Wright County Board of Commissioners meeting, HHS Director Jami Goodrum shared that the organization Buckle Up for Life awarded the Wright County program 50 convertible car seats that will be available to families experiencing economic hardship.
“It’s an extraordinary and wonderful award. We’ve already had a family in getting their passenger van all fitted with car seats,” Goodrum said.
HHS also received a $5,000 grant from United Way to purchase even more car seats. These seats are available as replacements for clients at discounted prices.
“When clients come in for safety inspections, sometimes their current seats are outdated so they can’t use them. We offer replacements for a minimum of $10. Last year we distributed 40 car seats to families with financial hardships,” Goodrum said.
The money will also allow HHS to promote child passenger safety at community events, health fairs and expos, plus buy promotional items and materials.
“Our goal is for children to leave the inspection site safer than when they arrive,” Goodrum said.
Wright County’s Child Passenger Safety Program not only provides free or low-cost car seats to families who are struggling to afford one on their own, its certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians are available to help guide parents and caregivers through the challenging process of correctly installing a car seat. This service is available to all families in Wright County.
According to SafeKids.org, when used correctly, child safety seats can reduce the risk of death in an auto related accident by as much as 71 percent.
“We’ve had this program for a long time. It’s the kind of thing you don’t hear about; you don’t hear about the accidents that were averted and the deaths avoided, but those are good things not to hear about. We will continue to do our best in this area and this additional funding, I think will help us do this,” Goodrum said.