Health, Safety Important as Kids Return to School

Martin's Point offers back-to-school tips for parents

Thousands of Maine children are returning to school and ensuring their health and safety is of paramount importance. Martin's Point Health Care has compiled suggestions for parents about a range of back-to-school issues, from immunizations and bike safety to riding the bus and having a child home alone after school.

"Obviously the health and safety of our children is always important," said Dr. Jan Wnek, M.D., medical director of Martin's Point Health Care, the state's largest not-for-profit primary care practice. "But the start of school is a natural time to remind parents and caregivers to be prepared."

Immunizations. Parents should check with the family doctor to ensure their children have received all of the necessary shots to protect against serious illness. Up-to-date immunization records help avoid confusion and the possibility of under-immunization. Martin's Point, for example, recently joined a new state-funded and state-supported Internet-based system called ImmPact that allows doctors' offices to quickly access a child's vaccination history.

Riding the Bus. School bus transportation is safe - even safer than riding in a car, according to the National Safety Council. Even so, in 1999 approximately 26 students nationwide were killed and another 9,000 injured in incidents involving school buses. The NSC recommends that children understand these guidelines:

- have a safe place to wait for the bus, away from traffic and the street;
- stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter;
- find your seat and stay seated while the bus is moving;
- never put your head, arms or hands out of the window;
- at your stop, wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before leaving your seat;
- if you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk at least 10 feet ahead of the bus along the side of the road, until you can turn around and see the driver;
- when the driver signals you to begin crossing, walk across the road, keeping an eye out for sudden traffic changes; and
- always stay away from the rear wheels of the bus.

Walking or Biking to School. Children who walk or ride their bike to school face a wide array of decisions each day. Here are a few suggestions to help ensure they have a safe trip:

- look for the most direct route with the fewest street crossings;
- children under age 10 should walk with an adult or older child;
- make sure you look to the left, to the right and to the left again for moving vehicles before crossing the street;
- don't enter the street between parked cars or from behind bushes or shrubs (darting into the street accounts for 50 to 70 percent of pedestrian injuries among children ages 9 and under);
- mind all traffic signals and/or a crossing guard; never cross the street against a light, even if you don't see any traffic coming;
- walk with a buddy;
- walk your bike through intersections; and
- wear reflective material, since it makes you more visible to street traffic.

In addition, children riding a bike should always wear a helmet. Each year, more than 200 kids are killed in bicycle-related incidents, and about 60 percent of those deaths involve a head injury, according to the U.S. Product Safety Commission. Helmet use can reduce the risk up to 85 percent.

Home Alone. If your child will be home alone for an hour or two after school, you should keep these suggestions in mind:

- review safety rules on a regular basis;
- discuss how to respond to an emergency, including role-playing responses;
- post all important phone numbers in a central location, such as the fridge;
- ensure your child comes home straight after school, and never accepts a ride from a stranger;
- ask your child to call a trusted neighbor as soon as he gets home from school;
- remind your child not to open the door without your approval; and
- ensure you have a working fire extinguisher, as well as plan escape routes in case of fire.

Parents may also want to consider a training program for their children. Martin's Point, for example, offers a "Home Alone" workshop for children ages 9-11 to boost their confidence and calm their fears while they are home alone. The single-session program, which costs $10, includes discussion, a video presentation and take-home materials dealing with safety and first-aid techniques. The next two workshops will be offered from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in Brunswick and Nov. 19 in Portland. For more information, call 828-2497.

The Martin's Point Health Education Center offers visitors a variety of resource materials, such as publications and videos, and classes that focus on a host of topics, ranging from weight management and smoking cessation to the management of diseases such as diabetes.

Established in 1981, Martin's Point is a not-for-profit health care provider with facilities in Portland, Brunswick and Windham, Maine, and in Portsmouth, N.H. The largest primary care practice in Maine, Martin's Point has a staff of more than 300 health care professionals and serves 54,000 patients - including military retirees and dependents of active military personnel - under all major health plans. Martin's Point serves patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, radiology, cardiology, and mammography, as well as other fields.

In addition, Martin's Point is known for its innovative approach to health care. Unique to Martin's Point is its online communication program called Patient's Personal Points (TM), which allows patients to communicate via a secure server with their doctors to schedule appointments, ask medical questions and obtain prescription renewals. The program won a national technology award from the Healthcare Innovations in Technology Systems (HITS) Partnership in Technology national awards program. For additional information on Martin's Point Health Care, visit them online at www.martinspoint.org.

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