Building a Safe Community: Injury Free Children

Speaker:
Barbara Barlow, MD, Director of Surgery, Harlem Hospital; Director, Injury-Free Coalition for Kids Program

Program Description:
The injury prevention program at Harlem Hospital has seen traumatic injury to neighborhood children reduced by more than 50 percent. In 1975 when Dr. Barlow arrived at Harlem Hospital, she treated children in the emergency room every day with abrasions, stab wounds, and head injuries received while playing outside. Since then she has instituted child safety programs—cleaning up playgrounds, offering children’s dance, art, cycling, counseling, and more. The Injury Free Program has improved the lives of thousands of Harlem children and is now established in pediatric trauma centers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Satellite broadcast originally aired Aug. 17, 2000