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Child Safety

MNAAP’s child safety work group is discussing ways to decrease intentional and unintentional injuries and deaths. Unintentional injuries are the number killer of Minnesota children, youth and young adults, according to the Minnesota Safety Council. Firearm violence and safety is another major concern of this work group.

Until 2018, this group had been focused primarily on child abuse and neglect. Based on feedback from the chapter’s annual member survey, the focus has broadened to include additional child safety concerns.

Recent Webinars and Videos

Firearm Violence Prevention: Advocating for Safer Laws at the State Capitol (Part 2) | February 2020

(Audio Only)

Webinar handouts:  2020 Firearm Injury Prevention Webinar Slides

Enduring CME/MOC2 credit: The Minnesota Medical Association designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Please fill out the evaluation form to receive credit. Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity, with individual assessments of the participant and feedback to the participant, enables the participant to earn 0.75 MOC point in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

Firearm Violence Prevention: Counseling Parents about Safe Gun Storage Practices at the Practice Level (Part 1) | January 2020

Enduring CME/MOC2 credit: The Minnesota Medical Association designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Please fill out the evaluation form to receive credit. Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity, with individual assessments of the participant and feedback to the participant, enables the participant to earn 0.75 MOC point in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

 

Adolescent Vaping: Recognizing Addiction and Understanding Treatment and Referral Protocols in Primary Care | December 2019

Handout: 2019 Vaping Webinar Slides

Enduring CME/MOC2 credit: The Minnesota Medical Association designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.  Please fill out the evaluation form to receive credit. Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the activity, with individual assessments of the participant and feedback to the participant, enables the participant to earn 1 MOC point in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.

 

 

 

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Child abuse recognition, referral, follow up, and prevention is a problem in Minnesota. The Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services reported these alarming 2011 national statistics:

  • On average in America, every day about four children died of abuse and neglect, but the actual number is likely higher, due in part to underreporting.
  • More than 78 percent of these deaths were caused by a parent.
  • Almost 10 percent of the reported victims were sexually abused, and more than half of those were under the age of 12
  • Each quarter DHS updates its Child Welfare Data Dashboard.

 

For Pediatric Providers

 

Screening

Provided by Otto Bremer Trust Center for Safe and Healthy Children

 

Local Referrals for Child Abuse

Child Abuse Consultations
Call and Ask For A Child Abuse Physician

  • University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital – Minneapolis MN – Center for Safe & Healthy Children (612) 273-SAFE (7233) or (612) 365-1000
  • Hennepin County Medical Center – Minneapolis MN – Center for Safe & Healthy Children (612) 873-3000
  • Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota – Minneapolis and St. Paul MN – Midwest Children’s Resource Center (MCRC) (651) 220-6750 or 1-866-755-2121
  • Mayo Clinic – Rochester MN – Mayo Child and Family Advocacy Program (507) 266-0443 daytime or (507) 284-2511
  • Essentia Health – Duluth MN (218) 786-8364
  • Gunderson Health System – La Crosse WI 1-800-362-9567
  • Sanford Health – Sioux Falls SD – Child’s Voice Child Advocacy Center (605) 333-2226
  • Sanford Health – Fargo ND – Child and Adolescent Maltreatment Service (CAMS) (701) 234-2000

 

Local and National Organizations

Safer Study: Storing Firearms Prevents Harm Training Course

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is excited to announce the Safer Study to assess the effectiveness of the Safer training course.

This course was built in response to AAP member interest to increase skills around firearm injury prevention counseling, addressing the critical need for new, innovative approaches to prevent firearm injuries and deaths that occur every day across communities. VUMC will evaluate the reach, effectiveness, and firearm counseling maintenance of the Safer training platform as part of routine well-child visits in pediatric practices nationwide.

Safer Study

  • Self-selected participants will be requested to complete 3 brief (5-10 minute) surveys: Pre-course survey, Post-course survey, and one-month follow-up survey.
  • Eligible participants will receive up to $30 in gift cards for completing the study.

To participate in the Safer Study, register for the free Safer training course at https://shop.aap.org/safer-storing-firearms-prevents-harm/.

Additional Tools & Resources:

Visit the AAP Gun Safety and Injury Prevention Patient Care Page.

Be SMART Resources for Pediatricians

MNAAP is collaborating with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America to promote safe gun storage and reduce child gun deaths as part of Moms Demand Action’s Be SMART campaign. Be SMART is a non-judgmental approach that encourages families with firearms to Secure all guns in their home, Model responsible behavior around guns, Ask about their presence of unsecured guns in the homes of other children, Recognize the role of guns in suicide, and Tell your peers to be smart.

 

For handouts and resources that can be placed in pediatric clinics or guide discussions about firearm safety in the clinic office, please see:

For MNAAP members interested in joining Moms Demand Action legislative work focused on gun safety (e.g. supporting laws that require universal background checks and red flag laws that take guns out of the possession of at-risk individuals):

Firearm-related violence is a public health crisis, and action to reduce gun death and injury is long overdue.

  • More than 26,000 children and teens have been killed due to gun-related violence since 1999.
  • In 2015, 42 Minnesota children and teens were killed with a gun.

The MNAAP supports efforts to reduce gun violence through background checks, “red flag laws,” prohibitions on the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons, and safe storage of firearms. Furthermore, the MNAAP strongly supports efforts to study firearm violence as a public health issue.

Resources:

Be SMART PDF From Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Reduce Risk of Gun Injury

Teen Suicide and Guns

Gun Safety Infographic

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