New Child Passenger Safety Program Teaches Life-Saving

Measures in Nashville

Nashville, Tenn. (January 24, 2008)—Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, launched See Me Safe, a new Child Passenger Safety (CPS) program today at the Meharry Child Passenger Safety Center. Developed in partnership with Meharry Medical College, See Me Safe connects parents and caregivers to CPS-certified technicians and provides them with hands-on training and a visual reference of the child properly restrained. It also recognizes the important role that health care providers play in stressing the need for precautionary, life-saving measures in motor vehicles and connecting parents with local, relevant resources. Ford Motor Company Fund awarded a $250,000 grant to Meharry Medical College for the development of this new pilot program. 

“The complexities and evolving technology of child passenger safety can be overwhelming and difficult for many parents who often must rely only on written information about the proper use of safety restraints,” said Osei Mevs, Associate VP, External Affairs, Meharry Medical College.  “This partnership will assist in making sure that parents have not only written literature but hands on experience in making the lives of their children safer.”

Today at Meharry Medical College, the See Me Safe program kicked off with a safety seat demonstration for families. These families received hands-on instruction from CPS-certified technicians on the proper installation of their car seat. Ford Motor Company Fund also announced it will donate 150 car seats to the Meharry Child Passenger Safety Center to distribute as a part of the See Me Safe activities. In addition, healthcare providers participated in a workshop called Prescription for Safety. This reference tool, specifically designed for the medical community, engages health care professionals, such as pediatricians, nurses, and emergency room personnel, as key advocates of child passenger safety.

“Automotive safety is one of the most important aspects of our business. By establishing a core network of health care providers, from physicians, to nurses, to pediatric trauma response teams, and by working directly with parents, Ford Motor Company Fund is taking strides to ensure auto safety for children,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services.

To ensure the success of the See Me Safe program, the Meharry Child Passenger Safety Center will conduct pre- and post-surveys of those parents and caregivers who have been trained to assess if there is an increase in their level of knowledge and to assess if they have changed their behavior as a result of the workshop. These surveys will be used to adjust how the information about child safety is taught to ensure that the programs are as effective as possible for parents, caregivers, and health care providers.

“As the oldest, private, comprehensive historically black institution for educating health professionals and scientists in the United States, Meharry Medical College is a perfect partner for this program,” said Dr. Wayne Riley, President and CEO of Meharry Medical College. “See Me Safe focuses on narrowing the gap between what is and what can be in child passenger safety by helping parents and medical professionals learn about important life-saving measures.”

See Me Safe is a child passenger safety program developed by Ford Motor Company Fund in partnership with Meharry Medical College that is being piloted in three cities—Dallas, Detroit, and Nashville. The program extends the education efforts of certified CPS technicians; it gives parents and caregivers the confidence to demonstrate their ability to properly install a child safety seat; and it involves health-care providers as key stakeholders in CPS education to help reduce child injury, disability and death from motor vehicle crashes. All of the program materials are available in English and Spanish.

For additional information on child passenger safety efforts in Nashville, please visit: www.meharry.org or call the Meharry Child Passenger Safety Center at (615) 327-5900.

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Meharry Medical College is the nation’s largest private, independent historically black institution dedicated solely to educating minority and other health professionals. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services; and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Black Issues in Higher Education’s ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees, and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.