S.T.O.P. (Safe Transportation of Patients), administered through the ACH Department of Community Outreach, addresses transportation needs of children with special health problems ranging from prematurity to complex medical and surgical problems. Program activities, based on guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics, include policy development, staff training, and parent education. ACH recently added a car seat purchase program in the hospital’s gift shop. In addition to support from ACH, the program has benefited from support from the Arkansas Department of Health and the Blue and You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. A recently added program educates parents on CPS when they bring their children into the General Pediatric Clinic at ACH. Nurses and residents have been trained to screen for CPS needs and several nurses completed CPS technician certification in the past year. Resident physicians provide parents with a “CPS prescription” that can be filled at a monthly car seat check-up conducted just for GPC referrals. The project is completing its first six months with increasing success. A second hospital-based program is located within the neonatal unit of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Building on the experiences of ACH, Safe from the Start just completed its first year of training staff to become advocates and certified child safety technicians, policy revision and implementation, and resource development. The program now assesses all newborns for car seat safety and has a car seat purchase program through the department. Developing activities include prenatal CPS education through a clinic program. The program has benefited from support from the Arkansas Department of Health and the Highway Safety Office of the Arkansas State Police through the Child Passenger Safety Education program. Additional Funding from the Alltel Corporation has been instrumental in developing the program.
