|
Dr. Martin Eichelberger remembers that day in 1987 as if it were yesterday. A pediatric trauma surgeon at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., he had come to pitch a bold idea to Frank Ziegler, then a President within the Johnson & Johnson Consumer organization. He wanted the company to sponsor the first national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injuries. |
Dr. Martin Eichelberger remembers that day in 1987 as if it were yesterday. A pediatric trauma surgeon at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., he had come to pitch a bold idea to Frank Ziegler, then a President within the Johnson & Johnson Consumer organization. He wanted the company to sponsor the first national nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injuries.
His presentation included a startling fact: In the U.S., accidents were the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14. Dr. Eichelberger hoped that Johnson & Johnson would fund the nonprofit to get it off the ground. “Frank said, ‘I’m going to give you enough money for five years,’ ” recalls Dr. Eichelberger. “My eyes just started dilating.”
That meeting led Johnson & Johnson to become the founding sponsor of Safe Kids Worldwide, an organization that now promotes child safety in the U.S. and 18 other countries, including Germany, China, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates. For more than 20 years, Johnson & Johnson has supported Safe Kids in its mission to teach children and adults how to prevent unintentional injury and death.
The organization’s efforts have been hugely successful. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. has seen a 45 percent drop in the childhood death rate from accidents since 1987. That translates into 38,000 lives saved.
“I can’t save that many lives at the hospital,” says Dr. Eichelberger, “but you can sure do it with a sponsor like Johnson & Johnson.”
The Safe Kids program has strong roots in the Johnson & Johnson Consumer Group, due to its logical tie-in to many of our brands. In the United States, Safe Kids Week started in 1993 when there were five different Consumer organizations, says Paula Best, a Johnson & Johnson consultant and former Director of Promotions who has been involved with Safe Kids for nearly 20 years.
“Safe Kids was the first promotion that pulled all of the consumer companies together,” she says. “It was a bridging event for our sales people.”
Fire safety was the theme that year, and consumers sent in proofs of purchase to get a free smoke detector. Customers loved the program from the beginning and have come to expect it every year, says Paula.
During Safe Kids Week, participating retailers feature the Safe Kids logo alongside Johnson & Johnson Consumer brands in their publicity. Other customers have created direct-mail pieces tied to the campaign, as well as point-of-purchase displays showcasing our brands and Safe Kids materials. The event also includes a newspaper insert with coupons that goes to more than 40 million households.
Safe Kids went global in 1998 at the urging of Johnson & Johnson, says David Swearingen, former Vice President of Corporate Communications who oversaw the company’s Safe Kids sponsorship for 17 years. Local leaders wanted to bring the program to their countries, especially in places where young children were at risk.
“In developing countries, there’s an insatiable appetite for educating parents and children about safety,” David says. Programs vary according to the priorities of the country.
China represents one highly successful example. Safe Kids launched in China in 1999, and the organization has done groundbreaking research about childhood injuries in the country. Its latest report, released in November with Johnson & Johnson, found that more than 60 percent of child injuries in China happen at home and that 80 percent of parents don’t know how to check household items for safety. Based on those findings, a new program will train 10,000 kindergarten teachers in 13 Chinese cities about home safety, reaching an estimated one million families.
In all, Safe Kids China works with kindergartens and hospitals in more than 20 cities, up from one a decade ago. Between 2000 and 2007, the country recorded a 6.6 percent drop in the childhood death rate from accidents, which translates into 20,000 lives saved.
Other Johnson & Johnson operating companies are also now involved with Safe Kids. Ethicon and its DERMABOND® brand, for instance, partner with local Safe Kids coalitions to support hospital health and safety fairs. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Co. works with Safe Kids to distribute educational materials to eye care professionals.
In 2010, a new sports injury prevention program was piloted in the U.S. The idea originated from DePuy Mitek, whose sales representatives heard from sports medicine surgeons about the rising number of kids with sports injuries. To test the concept, Safe Kids and Johnson & Johnson ran 20 clinics across the country where sports medicine surgeons, athletic trainers and other experts spoke to kids, parents and coaches about injury prevention. The discussion included a range of topics such as avoiding dehydration, recognizing concussion, pre-participation physicals and appropriate warm-ups to avoid soft tissue injuries. The turnout was excellent, notes Sarah Colamarino, Vice President of Corporate Communications, as was participation in an online webinar that has registered people from 48 states and nine countries.
“We have a consumer-relevant topic supported by early data indicating that education about sports injury prevention can make a difference,” Sarah says. More clinics and webinars are planned for this year, and the Consumer Group will promote sports injury prevention during this spring’s Safe Kids Week. Maria Ionfrida, Director of Consumer Promotions, has spearheaded efforts to reinvigorate Safe Kids for the Consumer brands.
While much work remains, Dr. Eichelberger is encouraged when injury death rates decline wherever Safe Kids goes. He notes proudly: “Thanks to Johnson & Johnson, we’ve stimulated a lot of people to focus on this issue that is so important to children.”
To Learn More:
Company Initiatives
Safe Kids®
Raising Safe Kids One Stage At A Time
SafeKids USA®
