For decades, June has been recognized as National Safety Month by the National Safety Council. Safety is anything we can all do to help prevent injuries and fatalities during our daily activities. In Green County, accidents and unintentional injuries were the fourth leading cause of death in 2023, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
This time of year is especially important for keeping safety in mind. With high temperatures, water activities, fireworks, and generally busy schedules, there is a lot of potential for accidents. This summer, remember to always look before you lock, make sure you don’t leave kids or pets in your vehicle for any length of time, because your car can get very hot in just a couple of minutes.
When you’re out on the water, make sure you and your kids wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. It’s important to keep them on while you’re on a boat because an accident could happen at any time, and you may not be able to grab them from where they’re stored.
If you’re headed to a cookout this summer, you should practice good hygiene, like washing your hands with soap and water when you prepare food. Keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold, and don’t let food sit out for more than two hours. This will help prevent bacteria from growing, which could make people sick.
Public health organizations, like Green County Public Health, help promote and protect safety in many different ways. Initiatives like making seat belts more common, widely used, and required by law are examples of public health working to keep people safe. On a smaller scale, Green County Public Health has several programs to help keep people in Green County safe.
One way Green County Public Health works to help keep kids safe is by offering car seat installation and education. We have a trained Child Passenger Safety Technician on our staff who can work with parents, guardians, or grandparents to ensure their child’s safety seat is installed correctly. Car seats help protect infants and children in a car crash, but they need to be installed and used correctly to protect children properly. Contact GCPH at (608) 328-9390 or email us at info@greencountywi.org to schedule an appointment.
Another service the Green County Public Health offers is medication safety resources. We have medication lock boxes, bags, and medication disposal kits to help community members properly store and get rid of their medications. Medications can be misused or abused by other people who have access to them; for example, a child who can get a hold of a bottle of pills could swallow several pills, thinking they’re candy. Medication lock boxes allow adults to store and lock their medications away in a safe place. Lockboxes, bags, and disposal kits are free; contact our department to learn more or schedule a time to pick them up.
Behind the scenes, Green County Public Health works with other local organizations to address and prevent safety issues in Green County. GCPH coordinates the Green County Fatality Review Team to look at the circumstances surrounding the overdose deaths and children’s deaths and identify how we, as a community, can prevent similar tragedies in the future. Other organizations that are a part of these teams include law enforcement, Green County Human Services, schools, the coroner, healthcare, and others. Similar teams exist all across the state and the country, working to keep people safer in their communities.
Our department is also a part of Safe Kids South Central Wisconsin, a regional network of public health and healthcare organizations focused on kids’ safety. This group hosts and attends events to provide education on topics such as fire prevention, bike safety, helmet wearing, water and swimming safety, plus so much more. As a member of this group, GCPH can learn from and connect with other organizations, and we receive resources like car seats, gun locks, and other items. The Safe Kid Wisconsin website has many great resources for parents; visit www.safekidswi.org to learn more.
— Bridget Zimmerman is the Public Health Educator for the Green County Public Health Department and can be reached at bzimmerman@greencountywi.org or 608-328-9509.
