Presenter Profile
Mackenzie Rose, CHES, CPST
Community Education and Prevention
Children’s Wisconsin
Mrose@childrenswi.org
Mackenzie Rose is a Program Coordinator at the Children's Wisconsin Safety Center helping coordinate the Safe at Home and Car Seat Programs. She has been working in community health since September 2021, but joined Children's Wisconsin in March 2025. Mackenzie coordinates and supports the Safety Center’s clinical operations across Milwaukee and Fox-Valley Hospitals, primary care clinics, and community car seat clinics. Her initiatives include the regular and loan distribution of car seats and the Safe at Home program, which provides safe storage products to families. Mackenzie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health and Community Health Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Health in Community and Behavioral Health Promotion at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is also a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and a Community Health Education Specialist. Mackenzie is driven by a commitment to foster community health and help secure the safety and well-being of children throughout Wisconsin.
Presentations
Lock It Up: A Safe Gun and Medication Storage Program for Safer Homes and Communities
Ashley Mahnke, MBA, CHES, CPST-I
Latoya Stamper, MSW, CPST
Mackenzie Rose, CHES, CPST
Rising unintentional firearm injuries, ingestions, and suicides in our community have prompted a long-standing hospital-based home safety program to evolve and address these concerns. Enhancing our focus on general home safety, the program now includes safe gun and medication storage solutions to prevent injuries. Each year, the hospital's emergency department and mental health services care for a high rate of children and teens presenting with unintentional firearm injuries and suicide ideation. The purpose of this program is to enhance education and provide safe storage devices to these patient’s families, reducing access to lethal means. Proper storage of firearms and medications is a critical strategy in preventing unintentional injury, suicides, and death.
Beginning in 2022, the program initiated the distribution of gun locks (trigger and cable locks) and medication lock bags through collaborations with social work and mental behavioral health teams. In 2024, a multidisciplinary workgroup was formed to integrate these efforts for a cohesive approach to firearm and medication safety. Program optimization involved: 1) identifying families of at-risk patients in the emergency department and trauma center for participation; 2) integrating documentation into the electronic health record with updated flowsheets and a bilingual liability agreement; 3) developing a data report to track product distribution; 4) creating and implementing a digital gun safety teaching sheet; 5) expanding the range of available safe storage products (lockboxes with key and biometric lockboxes) sourced from approved vendors and managed through a centralized warehouse; and 6) launching a two-part staff training program, including evidence-based Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) training. In 2025, the team plans to create a standardized screening practice integrated into the hospital's social determinants of health assessment to further identify eligible families. Data analysis for this program evaluation included descriptive statistics on product distribution.
In 2024, 70 safety products were distributed to families across 10 counties, including 45 lock boxes, 2 cable locks, 2 trigger locks, and 21 medication lock bags. Ingestions and suicide were the leading complaint with 64% being female. So far in 2025, 46 safety products have been given to 32 children, and 43 staff participated in the CALM training. Program educators noted positive feedback from families receiving education and safety products.
Initial data indicates a significant need for continued expansion of this safe gun and medication storage program across the health system. The program's development highlights the value of clinical integration and multidisciplinary collaboration. This has been well-received by staff, leadership, and families. Future efforts will focus on quality improvement and further program expansion.
1. Participants will understand the key components of a successful safe storage program and be able to implement a similar program.
2. Participants will learn how to integrate a safety program into the electronic health record to facilitate system-wide implementation.
3. Participants will learn about clinical integration in establishing a safe storage program.