DC Injury Prevention Coalition

The DC Injury Prevention Coalition is a community based organization with members representing a variety of safety-minded organizations in metropolitan area.  The group meets regularly to plan and discuss initiatives to improve the health and well being of children in the area.

The coalition’s members include many community-based organizations, in addition to:

• District of Columbia Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs
• District of Columbia Division of Transportation
• District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department 
• Emergency Medical Services for Children – DC
• District of Columbia Public Schools
• George Washington University Medical Center
• Metropolitan Police Department
• National Capital Poison Center
• Office of Early Childhood Development

Contact Kimberle Searcy at 202-471-4883 or ksearcy@childrensnational.org for information on becoming a Coalition member.

Coalition Programs

Bike and Pedestrian Safety

• Instructors review proper bike safety for children along with proper use of bike helmets.
• Bike rodeos held during the summer months include demonstrations on how to ride a bike safely and how to properly use hand signals.
• International Walk to School Day takes place annually in October. Children’s partners with FedEx for this event, which is a Safe Kids Worldwide program.
• Pedestrian safety events coincide with bike safety events. Children learn the fundamentals of how to properly cross the street.

Child Passenger Safety

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer for children under the age of 14 years old. In many of those accidents, children are not properly restrained or not at all restrained. In fact, in the United States, 80 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly.

This committee works to enforce child passenger safety by encouraging parents not only to use car seats, but to use them correctly through outreach efforts, such as:

• Child passenger safety events, which are held in the District at elementary schools, car dealerships, fire stations, police departments, health fairs, and community locations. 
• Children’s Car Seat Inspection Station, where certified safety technicians show parents how to properly install car seats.
• Child Safety Seat Purchase Program, which offers safety seats at a discounted price to DC residents.

For more information, contact Sylvia Perkins-Swain at 202-441-8801.

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School-Based Injury Prevention (Risk Watch)
This is primarily a school-based program which holds educational sessions for teachers about safety curriculum they can teach in their classrooms. Topics include:

• Child passenger safety
• Bike and pedestrian safety
• Fire and water safety
• Poison
• Falls

Injury-Research Committee
This new committee plans to provide a data-drive approach to the coalition’s efforts in order to focus on new injuries seen in Children’s patients and to target areas of the city still in need of outreach.

Youth Violence
This committee plans to form a partnership with several community organizations to focus on bullying and gun prevention.

Related links  Injury Prevention Fact Sheets  Product Recalls