Marisela Sandoval with UAMS Community Health & Research installs a car seat for a family at Open Arms Food Pantry & Pregnancy Center on March 8.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Office of Community Health & Research and the Open Arms Food Pantry & Pregnancy Center partnered with Buckle Up for Life to provide free car seats to Madison County residents on Tuesday, March 8.
Community Health and Research Family Wellness staff provided car seat training during the event at Open Arms in Huntsville. According to the Centers for Disease Control, car seat use reduces the risk for injury in crashes by more than 70% for children, compared to seat belt use. Using a booster seat can reduce the risk for serious injury by 45%.
“Educating families on the importance of child passenger safety and ensuring that families have the appropriate car seats and boosters for their child’s age and size is our best chance at reducing crash related injuries,” said Krista Langston, senior director of community programs in the UAMS Office of Community Health & Research.
Twelve free car seats were distributed to families during the March 8 event. Open Arms and Buckle Up for Life provided the car seats.
UAMS Family Wellness programs are available at no cost to the public. Programs include:
- Healthy Start provides mothers and families with education, resources and support through services in the home, hospital, or other community settings.
- Through Fatherhood FIRE, trained community health workers provide education and resources to fathers, couples and co-parents to ensure that every child has a safe and nurturing environment.
- CenteringPregnancy® is a prenatal care program that includes regular health checkups, along with extra time for group learning and sharing.
- For more information about UAMS Family Wellness programs, visit nwa.uams.edu/chr/familywellness.
The UAMS Office of Community Health and Research is committed to creating a better state of health for all. We seek to identify and understand health needs through research and programs, and work to create an environment where every person has access to their best health. We do this through community-engaged research and programs focused on reducing health disparities through healthy food systems, food equity, family programs, diabetes and cardiometabolic disease prevention and management, community-based health programs and evaluation. For more information about the UAMS Office of Community Health and Research, visit nwa.uams.edu/chr.