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.