Safe Kids Wyoming History and Mission
“Reduce the number of unintentional injuries in children in Wyoming.”
In late 1994, at the request of then First Lady Jane Sullivan and local McDonalds operators Jack and Suzanne Preiss, the Wyoming Department of Health’s Maternal and Child Health Program and the Department of Transportation initiated a media campaign originally called Help me grow!, by drawing together a group of public/private stakeholders. While diverse, these stakeholders all shared a goal to reduce mortality and morbidity through the prevention of health problems and the reduction of unintentional childhood injury. The campaign, which consisted of public service announcements promoting issues ranging from the importance of prenatal care, to car seat safety, to child abuse and neglect, was launched in the Spring of 1995 with First Lady Sherri Geringer serving as its spokesperson. Wyoming was the second state in the nation to launch such a collaborative initiative.
In late 1995, a partnership between the Department of Health and National SAFE KIDS enabled Wyoming to finally join the other 49 states affiliated with the National SAFE KIDS Campaign and the program changed its name to Help me grow – Safe Kids. As its focus began to evolve from simple media messages to one of strategic integration of resources in support of a achieving a common mission – a Coalition was born. At that time, as a result of this partnership, Wyoming was the only state in the nation to have a formally recognized integration strategy to leverage both health and injury prevention resources to ensure its children’s healthy and safe future.
Recognized in 1997 as a national best practice by the National Governor’s Association, the Coalition represented an historic collaborative effort on the part of the Wyoming Governor’s office; the Departments of Health, Family Services, Education, and Transportation; and its founding sponsor, Ronald McDonald House Charities.
In 2000 the Cheyenne Regional Foundation formally became a co-sponsor of HMG-SK, thereby strengthening the public/private nature of the Coalition. As the Regional Trauma Center for our community, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center is committed to prevention and education and this collaborative effort supports its mission; “To reduce the number of preventable illnesses and injuries affecting Wyoming children.”
Despite these efforts, unintentional injury continues to be the number one cause of death of children ages 1-18 in Wyoming. Falls were the leading cause of hospitalizations in children and youth less than age 19, followed by poisonings. The data was compelling and would indicate a need for a more comprehensive injury prevention program statewide. As a result, HMGSK will focus on comprehensive injury prevention and was called Safe Kids Wyoming effective October 15, 2003.
The lead agencies of Safe Kids Wyoming are: The Wyoming Department of Health/Maternal and Child Health Division and Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.