Category: Safety
Learn about summer safety at “Safe Kids Day” events – May 18
The Washington State Safe Kids Coalition invites parents to take part in Safe Kids Day on Saturday, May 18. Local coalitions are holding several events across the state to help parents learn ways to keep kids.
Attorneys general seek warning label cautioning pregnant women against using pain pills
Nationally, about 13,500 infants were born with drug withdrawal symptoms in 2009, about one baby each hour, according to a 2012 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Road deaths climb in 2012, ending six-year slide
The number of people who died in traffic accidents inched up last year, reversing a downward trend in road deaths that began in 2006, according to a federal report.
Hot weather, cold water pose drowning risk
In Washington, drowning risks peak in summer months, but during the month of May, there are usually several drowning deaths on warm spring days when people, especially kids and teens, are eager to get in the water to swim, or go rafting or boating.
Healthcare’s ‘Dirty little secret’: No one may be coordinating care
Breakdowns in hospital communications are common, with sometimes dire consequences for patients.
Safety begins at home – National Public Health Week article
Did You Know?
The majority of fire-related deaths happen at home.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among people over 65
Nine out of every 10 childhood poison exposures happens at home . . .
Get up-to-date: vaccinate
It’s difficult to keep track of which vaccines you need and when you need them, but they are crucial to staying healthy and avoiding disease. Many people think that they’re covered by their childhood vaccines, but it is possible that you never received some newer vaccinations or that your immunity has faded over time. Prevent unnecessary illness by [...]
Poison prevention tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics
The most dangerous potential poisons are medicines, cleaning products, antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid, pesticides, furniture polish, gasoline, kerosene and lamp oil.
One in three US drivers texting and checking email while at the wheel
Sixty-nine percent of US drivers talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed; 31 percent of drivers in the United States reported that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving.
Know the active ingredients in your child’s meds – FDA
If your child is taking more than one medication at the same time, there could be dangerous health consequences if those medicines have the same active ingredient, warns the US Food and Drug Administration.
New tools help health providers reduce patients’ risk of falls
For older adults, falls are serious, whether they take place in the home or in a health care setting. More than one-third of adults over age 65 fall each year. Falls can cause bone fractures, disability, and even death. Among people 75 and older, falls are far more likely to cause admissions into a long-term care facility than for adults 10 years younger.
A Patient’s Guide: How To Stay Safe In a Hospital
Doctors are using checklists to reduce medical errors. Now a patient advocate has created a book of checklists for patients to help make sure they get the best of care.
Seven Salmonella infections in Washington linked to pet hedgehogs
Seven Salmonella illnesses linked to exposure to hedgehogs, including one death, were reported to the Department of Health over the past year. The cases have come from King, Pierce, Thurston, Whitman, Clark, and Spokane counties







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