CCHCs are keeping child passengers safe!

On June 7th-10th, Tonya Moss - CCHC in Catawba County - assisted in the facilitation of a Safe Kids Child Passenger Safety Technician Training in Lincoln county. 

Christine Rosinski - CCHC in Gaston County - participated in the training where she earned her Child Passenger Safety Technician Certification.  Shown here, Christine, Tonya and Juliana Whitaker - CCHC in Lincoln County - participated in a car seat check on June 10th in Lincolnton, NC.

The car seat check was open to the public and organized by Juliana.  The check was successful and allowed the participants of the week long technician training to put their skills to the test. 

For more information on becoming a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician, click here.

Child Care Health Consultant Bonnie Garner facilities delivery of WHEE wagons to programs in Buncombe county!

 The WHEE Wagons have arrived!  Children at Irene Wortham Early LearningCenter now have the opportunity to receive IV medication and/or g-tube feedings from a little red wagon.  WesternCarolina University School of Nursing students and faculty delivered five red WHEE Wagons to a developmental day program for children. 

Bonnie Garner, RN, Child Care Health Consultant with MAHECand Buncombe Partnership for Children has been providing intensive health consultation and coaching to Irene Wortham Early Learning Center, a developmental day program for children with special health needs.  As an advocate for children and promoting a healthy and safe environment, the CCHC was looking for opportunities to support the health needs of several medically fragile children and to help the staff meet the developmental needs of the child.  Bonnie collaborated with the Pediatric faculty and students from Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing who have developed the WHEE Wagon Program.    

This  service learning program seeks to provide specially equipped IV Pole Radio Flyer wagons for children with medical needs. The team has witnessed the joy that a simple wagon ride can bring to a medically fragile child, and evidence shows that play can have a significant impact on pediatric health status. The group feels it is vitally important that children who have complex health needs to be able to enjoy the same experiences that other children do, and feel a wagon ride is just the way to do this!

A WHEE Wagon is just like a normal red wagon that kids ride and play in every day, but these wagons are specially equipped with an IV pole attached to the front. The IV pole attachment on the wagon ensures that the medically fragile children can have the opportunity to transport the children’s feeding pump or other medically required equipment. Rather than being stuck in a wheelchair, a WHEE Wagon is a more engaging mode of transportation for the children. The wagons can be used while the children play, are transported from the classroom to the OLE or provide the opportunity to be on eye level with other children. 

The WHEE Wagon program will allow kids to reconnect with the normal everyday world of just being a child, at a time when they may feel cut off from that world due to acute or chronic illness. These WHEE Wagons, could enrich the life of a specific medically fragile child through freedom of mobility and the basic joy of play. The five WHEE Wagons were donated to Irene Wortham, with the belief that a simple wagon ride could potentially touch the lives of ill children.

New Be Active Kids trainers!

The latest Be Active Kids train-the-trainer was held Friday, November 13th in Clyde, NC.

Four Child Care Health Consultants attended the training along with the western region CCHC coach, Theresa Stenersen. Picture above, left to right, are Laurel Marshall from Clay county, Janelle Midgett from Haywood county, Elka Gibbs from Macon county and
Meghan Phillips from Graham county - all part of Region A Partnership for Children.

The training was held by Keelin Schneider and the Be Active Kids Clubhouse Team - Swing, Leap, Dart, Blue and Glide.

 For more information about Be Active Kids, contact Keelin Schneider at keelin AT beactivekids.org

CCHCs celebrated!

Two Child Care Health Consultants covering Jackson, Haywood and Swain counties in western North Carolina were celebrated recently by Safe Kids Jackson County for their role in preventing childhood injuries!

Meagan Cagle (far left) and Janelle Midgett (4th from left) finished their CCHC training course this year and are both certified child passenger safety technicians.

Meagan works with child care facilities in Jackson and Swain counties and Janelle works with Haywood county. They are both employed by the Jackson county health department and are funded by Region A Partnership for Children.

Articles about the celebration appeared in the Macon County News and other local papers.

Western Regional association meeting and a fond farewell to Jackie!

On July 29th, the western regional CCHC association meeting was held at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, NC. The meeting was very well attended by region CCHC’s. Chrissy Wolfe of Buncombe County, was elected as chairperson when Linda Weldon stepped down as chairperson after several years of service. (Thank you for all you’ve done, Linda!)

The meeting was also attended by Resource Center staff – Jeannie Reardon, Mary Cleary and Jackie Quirk, who was retiring later this same week. After the meeting, several people took Jackie out to lunch to celebrate her retirement and say “goodbye” though she did promise to come to next year’s conference!