Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children - Safety Store

Accidental injuries are the leading cause of death in American children ages 1 to 14, and many of those deadly injuries are preventable. As a childrenâ€™s hospital and pediatric trauma center, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children sees the devastating effects of injuries to children and is anxious to do all that it can to prevent or at least minimize these injuries. That is why they eagerly applied for and received a grant from the National Association for Childrenâ€™s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to initiate its Safety Store. The hospital-based retail center opened in January 2008 with a $10,000 grant from NACHRI and $50,000 in start-up funds from the hospital. Products are sold at a reduced cost and include items such as allergy alert labels, child I.D. bracelets, car seats, and window alarms; sport and water safety products such as bike and multi-sport helmets, personal flotation devices and ear plugs; and a variety of items for the home including window blind cord wind-up, appliance latches, outlet covers, and stove knob covers. In addition to selling the products at cost, the Nemours Safety Store provides injury-prevention education to those visiting the store to ensure that the products are used correctly.

Overview

Accidental injuries are the leading cause of death in American children ages 1 to 14, and many of those deadly injuries are preventable. As a children’s hospital and pediatric trauma center, Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children sees the devastating effects of injuries to children and is anxious to do all that it can to prevent or at least minimize these injuries. That is why they eagerly applied for and received a grant from the National Association for Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to initiate its Safety Store. The hospital-based retail center opened in January 2008 with a $10,000 grant from NACHRI and $50,000 in start-up funds from the hospital. Products are sold at a reduced cost and include items such as allergy alert labels, child I.D. bracelets, car seats, and window alarms; sport and water safety products such as bike and multi-sport helmets, personal flotation devices and ear plugs; and a variety of items for the home including window blind cord wind-up, appliance latches, outlet covers, and stove knob covers. In addition to selling the products at cost, the Nemours Safety Store provides injury-prevention education to those visiting the store to ensure that the products are used correctly.

Impact

The store serves 150 to 170 customers per month. Staff not only sells safety-conscious products but more importantly, they provide instruction on the proper use of those items and dispense important information on injury prevention.

Challenges/success factors

The store is staffed by the hospital’s injury-prevention employees and trained volunteers. Staffing the store has been a challenge, as volunteer training is time consuming. Volunteers must become well versed in the proper use of products and injury preventions so that they can instruct customers.

Future direction/sustainability

Initially, the store was open only 12 hours a week; it has been expanded to 25 hours. The addition of a dedicated Safety Store Clerk has helped with staffing and increasing the operating hours of the store. They have also increased their line of products and are always looking for additional appropriate items to stock.

Contact: Sean Elwell
Trauma Program Manager
Telephone: 302-651-4928
E-mail: selwell@NEMOURS.org

Community Connections