Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/998534
T M C » P U L S E | J U LY 2 0 1 8 34 Trauma Season Level 1 trauma centers and the YMCA work to prevent childhood injuries during the summer W ith kids out of school for the summer, hospitals are braced for the annual uptick in emergency room visits. Known as "trauma season" in the field, the months of May through August harbor an increase in childhood injuries for a variety of reasons, including lax adult super- vision and the dangers associated with swimming or playing in the heat. "We see a spike in unintentional injuries in children during those months, and we speculate that it's partly because children are out of school and there's a lot more to get into when you're not structured in the school environment," explained Kristen Beckworth, manager of the Center for Childhood Injury Prevention at Texas Children's Hospital, a Level 1 pediatric trauma center. Level 1 trauma centers, which deliver the most comprehensive trauma care available for the most complex or severe injuries, also stand on the front lines of prevention. Through federal and local grants, the Center for Childhood Injury Prevention at Texas Children's implements program- ming geared toward child safety within the hospital and throughout B y A l e x a n d r a B e c k e r the Houston area. The center also serves as the administrative arm for Safe Kids Greater Houston, the local chapter of Safe Kids Worldwide, a national organization. "Our focus is on unintentional injury prevention—things that happen unexpectedly," Beckworth said. "We don't like to use the word 'accident' because when we're talking about car seat safety or bike safety or water safety, these