Home Makeover - New York, NY

Get on Board with Child Safety, in partnership with Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, provided the Perez family with a complete home safety makeover on June 15, 2005. The Perez family lives in a high-rise apartment in Bronx, NY with their twin 15-month-old boys. They were the first family selected to receive this thorough home safety evaluation as part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness about unintentional injuries occurring in the home.

“Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children under 14 and most fatal and non-fatal injuries for children 14 and under occur in the home,” stated Dr. Patricia Hametz, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and Attending Pediatrician at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian. “It is heartbreaking to have to treat children in the Hospital for injuries which could have been prevented with a simple intervention. Parents want to protect their children and keep them safe; it is our job to give them the tools and knowledge they need to do so.”

Get on Board with Child Safety enlisted the expertise of Peek-a-Boo Babyproofing, Inc., a child safety consultation and baby-proofing service, to work closely with the Perez family in identifying and addressing “trouble zones” in their home.

A sampling of childproofing items installed in the home include: Safety 1st security gates; Safety 1st cabinet and door locks for the kitchen, bathroom and living room areas; and window wedges to be installed on their third-story apartment windows.