Mercy Hospital Holds Car Seat Safety Check to Keep Babies Safe
Buffalo, NY— Catholic Health and Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, in conjunction with State Senator Timothy Kennedy, Safe Kids WNY, and EPIC, hosted a free Car Seat Safety Check at the hospital on Saturday, December 16. With a focus on keeping babies safe and to bring awareness to a recently approved New York State car seat law, the event was a success with over 100 car seats checked and 80 new car seats donated through a grant from the Safe Kids Buckle-Up program.
As part of this event, Senator Kennedy led a news conference discussing a new state law that will require all children riding in a car, who are younger than two years old, be in a rear-facing car seat as an added safety measure. A co-sponsor of this legislation, Senator Kennedy was joined by Mercy Hospital President & CEO C. J. Urlaub and EPIC President Michelle Urbanczyk. Governor Cuomo signed the car seat law in October, but it will not go into effect until November 1, 2019 to give parents and drivers time to learn about the change and make car seat purchase decisions accordingly.
“Because we care about the safety of our tiniest patients both in the hospital and when they leave in the loving arms of their parents, Mercy Hospital takes an active role in educating and helping families keep their children safe and healthy,” said Mercy Hospital President & CEO C.J. Urlaub. “Local statistics show that eight to nine children out of every ten do not use car seats appropriately or their seat is installed incorrectly, and if we can change this, we can make a difference.”
Car accidents are a leading cause of injury and death for children. Help reduce the risk by making sure your car seats are safe by attending an upcoming car seat safety check and class, regularly scheduled through Catholic Health. For more information, call (716)447-6205 or visit www.chsbuffalo.org/events.
