In 1949, five civic-minded women identified a need for a dedicated pediatric hospital in Central California, a region consisting of 16 counties including Fresno, where more than one-fifth of its residents live below the poverty line. Through their dedication and fundraising efforts, Valley Children’s Hospital officially opened its doors in 1952 at the corner of Shields and Millbrook avenues in Fresno.
Valley Children’s Hospital has grown substantially from its modest roots. In 2020, the hospital was ranked as one of the country’s best hospitals – for the fifth year in a row. The hospital has several pediatric specialties, including neonatology and pediatric diabetes.
Preventing pediatric trauma is also a main focus of Valley Children’s Hospital, which is why the hospital has applied for and received an annual grant for Seat Check Saturday from the Cal-Nev-Ha Children’s Fund since 2014.
Seat Check Saturday
Motor vehicle collisions are one of the top causes of injury to children, particularly within the trauma registry at Valley Children’s Hospital. Child passenger safety seat misuse is the main cause of this, with language and cultural barriers and lack of funds to purchase age-appropriate seats being the primary reason for this misuse.
Recognizing the need to educate families in injury prevention and child passenger safety in culturally relevant ways, Valley Children’s Hospital has hosted their annual Seat Check Saturday event – one of their signature events – since 2013.
Your generous contributions allow the hospital to join forces with organizations such as Safe Kids Central California, local police departments, and other experts to hold this annual event in an effort to reduce the number of children injured or killed due to motor vehicle collisions.
Your generosity also enables child passenger safety technicians to certify and/or recertify their skills through child passenger safety courses to ensure these seats are installed properly and replaced, if needed.
“These families are so very grateful. Thank you again for your support. It truly makes a difference in the lives of our communities.”
—– Kristina Pasma, BSN, RN, CPSI – Trauma Nurse Liaison, Valley Children’s Hospital
During the Seat Check Saturday event, certified passenger safety technicians check the car seats of all attendees to ensure they are properly installed. Low-income families without a seat, or with an expired seat, receive a free car seat for every qualifying child in their family.
At the 2019 Seat Check Saturday event, a 100% misuse rate was calculated during that day! Additionally, the hospital donated 22 car seats to needy families that day – and it’s all thanks to you, our donors.