With support from this grant award, the state’s only freestanding pediatric hospital hopes to reach 3,000 children and adults.
Published: June 30, 2023
Safety experts at Children’s of Alabama will be able to continue sharing messages about safety with thousands of Alabama youth and adults, thanks to a recent grant award last month from the Honda USA Foundation. Through its traffic safety pillar, the Honda USA Foundation provides funding to support programs that ensure youth feel safe on and off the road. With support from this grant award, the state’s only freestanding pediatric hospital hopes to reach 3,000 children and adults.
“We are so grateful to the Honda USA Foundation for their continued support of our safety efforts,” says Marie Crew, director of the Health Education and Safety Center at Children’s of Alabama. “Our mission includes advocating for all children and these programs are central to that commitment.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States. More than 7,000 children and teenagers died from unintentional injuries in 2019 (about 20 deaths daily). Children’s of Alabama is dedicated to preventing avoidable injuries and advocating for the well-being of children in the state.
The grant award will support safety programs conducted by the Health Education and Safety Center, including the ThinkFirst Alabama and Child Passenger Safety programs. ThinkFirst Alabama is an evidence-based curriculum taught in schools statewide. It uses age-appropriate concepts to convey the core message “Use your brain to protect your body.” Children learn more about helmet use, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety, concussion awareness and prevention and ATV safety. The Child Passenger Safety Program educates caregivers about choosing, installing and checking their child’s appropriate car seat or booster seat. Thanks in part to support from the Honda USA Foundation, the program will provide car seats and booster seats to families who need them. This includes families discharged from Children’s of Alabama and families identified through community partners.
“By meeting children and families where they are with safety education and tools, we can keep Alabama children safe, well and hopefully out of the hospital,” says Crew. “Thank you, Honda USA Foundation!”
About Children’s of Alabama
Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, offering inpatient, outpatient and primary care throughout Central Alabama. Ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s serves patients from every county in Alabama and nearly every state. Children’s is a private, not-for-profit medical center that serves as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric medicine, surgery, psychiatry, research and residency programs. The medical staff consists of UAB faculty and Children’s full-time physicians, as well as private practicing community physicians.
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About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility and the Honda USA Foundation
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that help people fulfill their life’s potential, while conducting business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Advancing its corporate social responsibility, Honda and the Honda USA Foundation support this direction through giving focused on education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at https://csr.honda.com/.