Children's injury prevention fair set

Lee Memorial Health System will hold a Children's Injury Prevention Fair on Saturday, Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lee Memorial Hospital, 2776 Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers. The fair is designed to promote injury prevention by combining fun activities and useful information for the entire family.

The Injury Prevention Fair is presented by The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida in conjunction with the Lee Memorial Hospital's Emergency and Trauma Services. Each year, thousands of children across the country are hospitalized for falls, burns, car accidents and other injuries. "Some of these injuries are avoidable," said Lisa Sgarlata, vice president of patient care at Lee Memorial Hospital. "We hope that parents will bring their children to the fair and learn some of the simple steps they can take to prevent injuries. "

Special features include a Teddy Bear Clinic, car seat and helmet fitting stations, a helicopter, ambulance, fire truck and K- 9 unit, as well as a rollover vehicle, safety house, Poison Control booth, "meet the trauma surgeons" table, decontamination display and more. Hamburgers, hot dogs, popcorn and drinks will also be available.

Children are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animals to the fair and visit The Teddy Bear Clinic where nurses will pretend medical treatments on their toy and teach them what happens at hospitals as well as the role of doctors and nurses. This helps calm their fears should they ever need medical attention.

At the car seat fitting station, parents will learn about car-seat safety, proper installation and recalls. Anyone wishing to have his or her car seat checked by the Child Advocacy team at The Children's Hospital should call 432-4491 to make an appointment.

The activities and booths will take place in the Auditorium and parking lot in front of the hospital.

The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida and emergency and trauma services at Lee Memorial Hospital are a part of the Lee Memorial Health System. The Children's Hospital is located at HealthPark Medical Center and The Trauma Center is located in central Fort Myers at Lee Memorial Hospital. They are the only facilities of their kind between Tampa and Miami and work together to provide the highest level of medical and surgical care available anywhere.