Safe Kids Worldwide

Safe Kids Worldwide (formerly Safe Kids USA) is a global non-profit organization working to prevent childhood injury through research, community outreach, legislative advocacy and media awareness campaigns. Safe Kids Worldwide has over 400 coalitions in 49 states, and has partners in over 30 countries. The proclaimed mission of Safe Kids Worldwide is "protecting kids from unintentional injuries, the number one cause of death for children in the United States." It is a 501(c) organization. Definition of preventable injury Preventable injuries include car crashes, falls, burns, drownings, fires, medication poisoning, and similar harms. Safe Kids addresses unintentional injuries that can result in serious disability or death. Founding and history Safe Kids was founded in 1988 by Dr. Martin Eichelberger, a pediatric trauma surgeon at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and writer and public relations consultant Herta Feely. Dr. Eichelberger joined with Johnson & Johnson to create an organization dedicated to protecting children from preventable injuries. Dr. C. Everett Koop served as its chairman for its first 13 years. In 2011, the organized merged with the Home Safety Council, another non-profit organization with similar aims. The current president is Torine Creppy. Programs Safe Kids Worldwide achieves this goal through a number of accident-specific prevention and awareness-promoting programs. Some of these programs include: Research: Safe Kids uses information from national injury databases and conducts original quantitative and qualitative research to explore how and why injuries happen and to develop effective behavior change strategies. Community Outreach: Safe Kids has more than 400 coalitions in the United States and more than 25 global partners. Safe Kids coalitions provide community education, organize car seat inspection stations, hold safety fairs and sports safety clinics, and provide information to local educators and media. Legislative advocacy: Safe Kids advocacy works at the local, state, federal and global level to ensure child safety is a top priority in the United States and around the world.