Home Makeover - Tampa, FL

Tampa residents Joe and DeeDee Jefferson spend most of their day chasing after their 3-year-old toddler Ryan. And in a few months, they will add 7-month-old Matthew to their "active supervision" list as he too begins cruising around the house. And it's a good thing they're watching closely, since unintentional injury remains the leading cause of death among children ages 14 and under in the United States.

In an effort to help keep children like Ryan and Matthew from becoming injury statistics, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital is working in partnership with Get on Board with Child Safety - a national injury prevention initiative educating parents and caregivers about keeping kids safe in the home and on the road. On October 19, 2005, the Jefferson family received a complete home safety makeover courtesy of Get on Board with Child Safety.

"Although there is no substitute for active supervision, childproofing your home provides an extra layer of protection and added peace of mind, "said St. Joseph's Children's Advocate Stefanie Ahner. "As the primary provider for children's health needs in this area, we know first hand how devastating injuries can be as well as how easily they can be prevented with some easy childproofing techniques.

The Jefferson's entire home was evaluated by a team of child safety experts who installed various Safety 1st products such as gates, appliance locks, cabinet and drawer latches, toilet locks, and furniture corner bumpers. Safety 1st also donated child safety seats for the Jefferson family's vehicles, which will be installed by trained technicians from St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. A local pool company also installed a pool fence to complete the home makeover.