Violent and unintentional injuries, food allergy and anaphylaxis

Institutional position on the prevention of violent injury to children

WHEREAS, handgun injury and child abuse and neglect constitute the leading Causes of injury and death to children and adolescents in the United States; and

WHEREAS, 6,060 children and adolescents 0-19 years of age were shot in Illinois from 1992-1995; and

WHEREAS, handguns were the weapons causing 94% of assault-related injuries and 88% of suicide to children and youth for children and adolescents 0-19 years of age from 1992-1995; and

WHEREAS, handgun injury has been the leading cause of death to African-American males 15-19 years of age in Illinois since 1992 and the Second leading cause of death to all adolescents 15-19 years of age in Illinois since 1992-1995; and

WHEREAS, hospital charges for gunshot victims 0-19 years of age in Illinois exceeded $69 million (unadjusted for inflation) from 1992-1995; and

WHEREAS, the annual number of suspected child abuse and neglect evaluated By Children's Memorial Protective Services Team more than doubled between 1980 and 1995 from 194 to 409; and

WHEREAS, patients under the age of five years accounted for more than 70% of the child abuse and neglect cases evaluated by Children's during the first nine months of 1996; and

WHEREAS, sexual abuse cases accounted for 34% of the cases evaluated by Children's Memorial Protective Services Team during the first nine months of 1996;

LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED: That Children's Memorial Hospital engage in policy and program initiatives To reduce violent injury to children.

Institutional position on unintentional injuries to children

WHEREAS, each year 1,000 children die and 80,000 are injured in the United States by residential fire, burns, scald burns, and contact burns due to the absence of smoke detectors, failure to plan and practice fire escape routes, lack of following safety precautions in the kitchen, and hot water tanks set too high; and

WHEREAS, in 1991, just under 600 children between 0-4 years of age died and 133,000 were injured as a result of motor vehicle crashes when correct use of a safety seat reduces a child's chance of being killed or injured by 70%; and

WHEREAS, each year 140 children die and more than 3 million are treated in the emergency department for injuries related to falls, many as the result of using infant walkers or the absence of window guards; and

WHEREAS, bicycle crashes result in approximately 250 deaths and 400,000 injuries annually and bicycle helmets prevent 52-60% of bike-related injury deaths as well as 74-85% of nonfatal head and scalp injuries and up to 50% of other injuries; and

WHEREAS, more than 1,000 children drown and 4,000 are hospitalized for near-drowning due to lack of adequate fencing around pools, supervision in pools and tubs, and limited use of life preservers; and

WHEREAS, in-line skating (roller-blading) injuries accounted for 18,640 emergency room visits in 1993 (and this number is likely on the rise) and most in-line skating injuries are caused by lack of protective gear, lack of skill or coordination, and risky behavior; and

WHEREAS, 40,000 children and adolescents are injured in pedestrian traffic incidents each year, due to busy streets, lack of safe play areas away from busy streets and developmental inability to navigate busy streets; and

WHEREAS, approximately 100 children die annually and 1 million are injured by poisonous substances and 86% of these were treated over the phone by poison control centers which prevented costly hospitalization;

LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED: That Children's Memorial Hospital engage in policy and program initiatives that reduce unintentional injuries to children.

Institutional position on food allergy and anaphylaxis

WHEREAS, Food allergy is a growing national healthcare issue;

WHEREAS, The estimated number of Americans with food allergy has increased from 6 million to over 11 million; many of them are children. The most common allergy-causing foods are peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, pecans and other nuts), cow milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy. A recent study showed that over 3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts; approximately 6.5 million Americans report seafood allergy which includes fish and shellfish;

WHEREAS, It is estimated that food allergy occurs in 8% of children age 6 or younger;

WHEREAS, It is estimated that 100–200 individuals per year die from food-induced anaphylaxis which is a sudden, severe, potentially fatal, systemic allergic reaction that can involve various areas of the body such as the skin, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and cardiovascular system;

WHEREAS, Currently there is no cure for food allergies and no treatment except for avoidance of food that trigger reactions. Individuals with food allergies and their families face tremendous barriers in their every day lives, must drastically limit their activities, exercise caution traveling and visiting public places and live in constant fear of a mislabeled or misread food product that could create a life-threatening allergic reaction;

WHEREAS, Research should be done to find a cure for food allergies. Improving the tracking of food allergies is an essential step in researching the causes of food allergies and developing treatment and cures. Potential areas of investigation include elucidating genetic, nutritional and other environmental risk factors for the development of food allergy; learning which factors are associated with a favorable prognosis, including outgrowing food allergy; and participating in clinical trials of novel treatments for food allergy.

LET IT THEREFORE BE RESOLVED:
That Children's Memorial Hospital engage in policy, research and program initiatives that improve the lives of children whose lives are affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis.