Author Archives: Bridget Clementi

How helmets can help prevent tragedies during “trauma season”

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At Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, summer is “trauma season.” Birds are chirping, flowers are sprouting and kids are falling — off their bikes, scooters and while on their in-line skates. Last weekend, our Emergency Department admitted 12 kids with injuries related to summer activities. Half of them were bicycle injuries.

As a parent, we have many responsibilities, but none is more important than being a role model. Trust me — kids are watching. A couple of weeks ago, I bought my daughter a pair of in-line skates for her birthday. I have been blading for years, and she was excited to join …Continue reading →

Tweeting to end bullying

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It seems like every time I open a magazine, newspaper or turn on the TV there’s something about bullying. These bullying discussions recently were taken to a whole new venue – a live chat that I participated in on Twitter.

TwitterLast month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosted an hour-long live Twitter chat with a panel of experts and advocates from across the country about bullying prevention. Dick Schafer, manager, program development and evaluation, Children’s Health Education Center, and I had the opportunity to participate as representatives of the American School Health Association. Topics of discussion included facts, …Continue reading →

Make sure little ghosts and goblins are safe and seen this Halloween

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Halloween is the time of year I insist on two rules – be creative and be safe. The kids and I start exploring different ideas in August. We talk about what they dressed up as in past years and what they are really into this year. Then, we have a reality check and focus on what we can make without sewing.

This year, my son is completely wrapped around “Star Wars: the Clone Wars” and begged to be Captain Rex. I know my creative limitations and his expectations, so despite my …Continue reading →

Flu Fighters popular in kids’ war on germs

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Captain Cough

Captain Cough

This current round of H1N1 (swine) flu is hitting kids hard. While local physicians have been working diligently to help children with flu symptoms, Children’s Flu Fighters have been out in our communities teaching kids how to prevent flu bugs from striking.

Children’s Hospital launched the Flu Fighters program in September as an outreach campaign targeting schools and daycares, primarily in Wisconsin. It’s a Web-based program (www.childrensflufighters.com) with free, online resources.

…Continue reading →

New super heroes teach germ fighting to kids

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Children’s Hospital today unveiled a new team of superheroes. The “Children’s Flu Fighters” are eager to spread their germ-fighting messages to kids everywhere. Missy Clean, Captain Cough, Super Sneeze and R & R Kid teach kids four basic ways to prevent the spread of cold and flu viruses:Flu Fighters

  1. Wash your hands.
  2. Cover your cough.
  3. Sneeze in your sleeve.
  4. Take the day off.

The Flu Fighters were developed as a fun and interactive way to teach kids about staying healthy. Over the coming weeks, Children’s Hospital and Children’s Health Education Center will be reaching out to educators, parents, caregivers and children of all ages on the importance of practicing healthy habits this cold and flu season.

Help us spread the word about not spreading …Continue reading →

Raising tobacco-free kids

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According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the tobacco industry spends more than $12.4 billion each year on marketing. That is more than$34.1 million a day. Unfortunately, a lot of that advertising is aimed at kids.

Think about the candy aisle at your local store. What do you see? Big League Chew? Candy cigarettes? Why are we supporting candy manufacturers who make products that …Continue reading →

Garage sales: Deal or danger?

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A toaster for $2! A set of encyclopedias for $10! Like many of you, I am a sucker for a good bargain. The bargains we find at local garage sales and resale shops can be too good to believe . . . and sometimes they are. Without knowing it, many people purchase or sell dangerous and recalled items at their resale shops or garage sales.

A recent survey conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission showed nearly 70 percent of all resale shops visited had at least one dangerous or recalled product …Continue reading →

E-learning engages, enriches

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A few years ago, Children’s Health Education Center launched an e-learning program.  E-learning health education programs may have seemed pretty far “outside of the box” for some, and CHEC was a bit ahead of the curve. With a great amount of passion, persistence and creativity by CHEC’s e-learning team, I am thrilled to announce that CHEC BlueKids e-learning programs have reached nearly 13,000 students in the 2008-2009 school-year – that’s triple what we reached the year before. The game-based e-learning …Continue reading →