Programs


The mission of Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center is… To restore, sustain, and enhance the health and developmental potential of children through excellence in care, education, research and advocacy.

Rady Children’s Hospital’s Center for Healthier Communities, established in 1996, serves as the hub of the hospital’s community health improvement programs. The center is a leader throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties providing outreach education and advocacy for child health and injury prevention. Rady Children’s also participates on the Steering Committee for the development and implementation of the Injury Prevention Co-op for the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutes (NACHRI).

In 2002 the center received funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to establish the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, San Diego. Working together with Rady Children’s Trauma Services, the San Diego Safe Kids Coalition and numerous community partners, this generous funding helped make significant inroads into helping keep kids safe. Our approach couples the science of epidemiology with community building and advocacy to create safer communities for children and families. To determine priorities and focus, data from the Rady Children’s Trauma Center, the San Diego HHSA and other sources is reviewed and the information is brought to communities to raise awareness, problem solve, create educational programs and safety interventions, or advocate for supportive public policy and safety regulations.

San Diego Directors


Contact Info

Mapping address: 3020 Childrens Way, San Diego, CA 92123



Description

Adhering to the data that shows that promoting the use of helmets and making helmets available is the most effective approach to reducing head injuries related to bicycle crashes.

Through a collaborative effort with The Injury Free Coalition for Kids and CalWORKs we provided bicycle safety helmet educational information, demonstrations on proper fitting and distributed over 450 helmets to low-income children. We also provided community education at a number of community health fairs, providing bicycle safety and helmet education, demonstrations on proper helmet fitting, and conducted a targeted helmet distribution at Euclid Elementary School.

Contact Information



Description

Focusing education and advocacy efforts on keeping children in properly installed car seats and booster seats until 60 lbs. is paramount. The Safe Kids Coalition has become the primary resource in San Diego County to train and certify child passenger safety technicians, and to conduct consumer inspections and installations and the Injury Free Coalition partners with Safe Kids on child safety initiatives. In 2004 Safe Kids received a specially outfitted van through the National Safe Kids program and sponsored by Chevrolet, trained 43 technicians, conducted a total of 284 child safety seat inspections, and distributed 94 car seats/booster seats.

Through Safety First, a program with San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency through funding from the Office of Transportation Safety, low-income families are referred by Public Health nurses and other providers and invited to participate in a child passenger safety class, then they have their child safety seats inspected and if needed receive a new child safety seat that is correctly installed by our technicians. Our certified child passenger safety technicians conducted 49 classes with 292 participants, distributing 458 child safety/booster seats through this program. Safe Kids also partnered on the child passenger safety component for the CalWORKs initiative, distributing and fitting 574 child safety seats/booster seats.

Kohl’s Family Safety Days feature monthly “Safety Fairs” at this large retail store including car seat check ups, and childhood injury risk assessments, along with safety product information and demonstrations.

Rady Children’s Hospital is one of 10 Hospital’s nationwide to Get on Board with Safety, a new partnership in 2006 with the Dorel Juvenile Group and the National Association of Children’s Hospital’s and Related Institutions (NACHRI) aimed at educating parents about safety in the home and car seat safety and distributing home safety products and car seats. With a focus on the North Inland area of San Diego County, one component of our program targets low-income families identified and referred through home visits by Public Health nurses. These families receive home safety education, products, and referrals to car seat classes and car seat checks, low cost car seats and no cost car seat installation.

Contact Information



Description

Taking the role as the lead healthcare agency to advance the strategies adopted by the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan.

In 2006, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors issued the first-ever “Call to Action: Childhood Obesity Action Plan” for San Diego County. The report states “The increasing number of overweight and obese children in San Diego County is putting our youngest generations at risk of major health problems.” The plan utilizes the Ecological Model of health promotion in its development focusing on environmental changes, behaviors, and policies that help individuals make healthy choices in their daily lives. Rady Children’s Hospital’s Center for Healthier Communities will use this framework to spearhead obesity prevention initiatives and programs in school settings, faith-based organizations, community collaborations, and advocacy efforts. To read the Call to Action and recommended strategies, or for plan resources and information about how the plan was developed, visit Our Community, Our Kids

Contact Information



Description

Providing leadership, coordination and focus for the citywide Child Pedestrian Safety Task Force.

Growing out of our work with local schools in the SR25 initiative, the task force’s initial impetus was to review and update policies and warrants related to child pedestrian issues surrounding schools. It also served to inform the city council about key issues and advocated for the dedication of a capital improvement fund for small-scale improvements and matching dollars for state and federal funding. Today, the task force reviews data and establishes priority schools for the next cycle of Safe Routes to School funding. One emerging priority is to find funding to conduct an audit of all 300+ elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District and to ensure that each school has designated Safe Routes to School and communicated the routes to parents. The other major priority is to determine which schools will be submitted for state capital safety improvements. Last year’s proposal was approved for Central Elementary, which will support pedestrian safety improvements around the school and some of our educational outreach.

Contact Information



Description

Educating extremely vulnerable and hard to reach populations. Providing targeted health education, and injury and trauma prevention education to youth ages 10-17 who are incarcerated at Juvenile Hall in Kearny Mesa and East Mesa Juvenile Detention Centers in San Diego County.

Detainees, both boys and girls, who are diagnosed or at risk with an inability to manage stress and anger (including a history of self-inflicted injury, a communicable disease, chronic illness, pregnancy, sleep disorder, inadequate hygiene, poor oral health, tobacco use and other issues are referred by the medical clinic and receive one-one-one health and safety education including discharge planning, limited case management, assistance with community–based referrals, and insurance enrollment assistance. Weekly group health and injury prevention classes also address health risk behaviors relevant for youth and offer opportunities to learn practical strategies for making healthy choices that will enable them to manage their own health.

Contact Information



Description

Taking the lead to convene traffic engineers, city planners, police officers, school administrators, PTA, and parents to keep kids safe.

Safe Routes to School is a community and school-based child pedestrian safety program that aims to reduce injuries to children through education, enforcement and improvements to the physical environment. In 2001-02 we began working with a high-risk school in Mid City, and helped to leverage $500,000 for physical improvements at Euclid Elementary. We have continued to add schools in City Heights and southeastern San Diego. In partnership with the City of San Diego, we convene community partners to review data, assess problem areas, develop a blueprint for improvements, and leverage funding to carry out the recommended traffic calming measures to improve child pedestrian safety.

Contact Information



Description

Coordinating Walk to School Day activities at target schools to promote children and adults walking together.

As part of the Safe Routes to School effort, we stimulate the development of parent safety committees, conduct parent education programs about Kids in Traffic, and facilitate small-scale improvements at the schools. Following the tragic fatality of a young Somali child, we also conducted a special education program about street safety for newly immigrated Somali families. In 2004 we expanded our focus to integrate pedestrian safety with safe physical activity, and are helping parents and students develop ongoing walking programs in their community. The programs success is being recognized, and we were invited to present this initiative as a model approach to improve pedestrian safety at the 2004 National Injury Free Coalition for Kids Conference and the 2005 California OTS (Office of Transportation) statewide conference.

Contact Information



New Program

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Mary Beth Moran, PT MS M.Ed

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Job Title:
Director- Community Health

Biography:
Mary Beth joined Rady Children's Hospital- San Diego in 2007 coming from a clinical background as a physical therapist. After 20 years of treating injuries after the fact she decided to use her background in health care, education and evaluative sciences toward preventative interventions.

Mary Beth served as the Manager of Injury Prevention programs, and the Program Coordinator for The Injury Free Coalition of San Diego for 10 years. In July, 2018, upon the retirement of Cheri Fidler, Mary Beth assumed the new role as Director of the Center for Healthier Communities at Rady Children's Hospital. In this new role she continues to provide oversight and guidance to injury prevention programs. In addition she directs new initiatives within the Center which include interventions for suicide prevention, positive youth development, obesity prevention among many other programs. In this new position Mary Beth is able to employ every facet of her education which include a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy which she received from New York University in 1988. She continued her education with a Masters Degree in Education, focus International Education, from George Washington University in 1996. She used that degree to assist in the development of a new Physical Therapy program, developing clinical sites and teaching Health Promotion to graduate physical therapists. She concurrently served several tours of international work in both South Africa and Vietnam through Health Volunteers Overseas. Her subsequent Master of Science Degree from Dartmouth College in Evaluative Clinical Sciences led her to pursue a career in community and population health.

Mary Beth was raised in Denver Colorado, through her education and early employment she spent 21 years on the east coast living in New York City, Washington D.C. and Boston. She moved to San Diego in 2007 and enjoys taking full advantage of the perfect weather in southern California biking, hiking, and scuba diving alongside her husband John and their dog Patty.

Contact Information

Email Address:
mbmoran@rchsd.org

Phone Number:
(858) 576-1700 ext 4389

Mailing Address:
Rady Children's Hospital
Center for Healthier Communities
3020 Children's Way
San Diego, CA 92123


Speaking Availability

Mary Beth Moran is available to answer your group's questions via telephone or e-mail.

Mary Beth Moran is available to travel to speak to your group in person.

Lorraine Lynn

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Job Title:
Manager, Injury Prevention

Biography:
Lorrie Lynn joined RCHSD in August 2018. As the new Injury Prevention Manager and Coordinator for Safe Kids San Diego Lorrie brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the team. Lorrie has a Master’s degree in sociology and 8 years’ experience working as Director of Grants and Evaluation at the National Safety Council. She also has 11 years of experience managing community projects for United Way. She is also a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.

Contact Information

Email Address:
llynn@rchsd.org

Phone Number:
858-576-1700 ext 3547

Mailing Address:
Rady Children's Hospital San Diego
Center for Healthier Communities
3665 Kearny Villa Road, Suite 460
San Diego, CA 92123


Joy Joelle Donofrio, DO, FAAP, FACEP

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Job Title:
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego

Biography:
Joelle Donofrio, DO, is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. She attended University of California Davis for undergraduate studies and medical school at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine- California. She completed her Pediatric Residency at Los Angeles County + University of Southern California, her Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, and her Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fellowship at University of California San Diego. She is currently the Associate Medical Director for San Diego Fire-Rescue, EMS Medical Director for Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego, Associate Program Director for the UCSD EMS Fellowship and works clinically in the Emergency Department at Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. Dr. Donofrio is an active member of the California EMS for Children and the pediatric subcommittee of the NAEMSP. She has a strong interest in prehospital care of children.

Contact Information

Email Address:
jdonofrio@ucsd.edu

Phone Number:
(858) 966-8036

Mailing Address:
Dept of Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Rady Children's Hospital
3020 Children's Way, MC-5075
San Diego, CA 92123


New Person

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