University of Iowa Children's Hospital Safety Store hopes to improve the well-being of children by offering low-cost child safety products to prevent childhood injuries. Pam Hoogerwerf, community services coordinator with University of Iowa Children's Hospital, talks about the Safety Store:
Where can new and expecting parents find information about the safety products they need to protect their children and how to use them correctly?
The first place that I refer parents is to go to our Web site www.uihealthcare.com/SafetyStore. We have great information about keeping their kids safe. Another very good site is www.safety1st.com and it's an excellent site for educating parents on keeping kids safe.
What items are needed to child-proof a home?
We have think about protecting newborns through toddlers as they gain mobility—whether that's crawling or walking—from falling and bumping their heads. Their curiosity increases as they get older and they want to open cabinets they shouldn't or play with appliances that they shouldn't. There are products to protect kids from those particular hazards.
What sort of items can be purchased at the UI Children's Hospital Safety Store to help protect a baby?
One of the most important items is the car seat. A car seat is something you need to bring the child home from the hospital. We have a variety of car seats—from infant seats all the way up to booster seats—to help a child travel safely in a vehicle. We also have many home-products to keep:
- Cabinets locked
- Toilet lids shut
- Dials on the stove or oven unavailable for kids to get their little hands on
Are prices at the Safety Store similar to those you may find at other retail sites?
The goal of our program is to keep them as low-cost as possible. Our vision is not to make money but to provide products at low costs and educate families on how to use the products correctly.
How can parents learn what products are available at the Safety Store?
Our catalog is online. We also have a live presence at UI Children's Hospital. Families can either make appointments to come in to review our products, or we have a retail cart that moves around the hospital three days a week.
How are orders placed?
You can download an order form from our online catalogue and either mail or fax in to us. Or, if families want to visit with us live, we can take care of the transaction in person.
Is the Safety Store a physical store at UI Children's Hospital?
We don't have a free-standing store where families can just drop in. We have a retail cart that, circulates during the hours posted in the hospital or on our Web site. Families can see us while we have the cart out, or we welcome families to give us a call and make an appointment to learn about our products.
What is the easy way for people to learn more about the Safety Store?
Online at www.uihealthcare.com/SafetyStore or call 319-356-3543. |
