Car seats. The evolution of them has been incredible. "Back in my day" the car seat was draped over the seat, had some padding around a bar with a spring loaded mechanism in it and a buckle to keep the springy thing from springing, at least until you figured out how to undo the buckle, then you could spring it all day. Fun! Car seats have dramatically changed in safety and design and with the evolution has come a new look into the needs of kids who might not be able to use a traditional car seat due to some physical limitation. Special Needs car seats are available and Trinity Health can not only help in getting you one, they can help in making sure it's precisely the right one and precisely put into your vehicle. This Special Needs Car Seat Clinic is the first of it's kind in West Michigan and be proud....it's right here in Muskegon!
Holly Alway is the Injury Prevention Coordinator at Trinity Health in Muskegon. She's the one who's always looking out for the things we might not think of first when it comes to safety. Today, she's here sharing with us an amazing service that Trinity Health offers for families with special needs kids that need seating in vehicles to assure their comfort and safety. As my time has unfolded, being a part of the special needs groups that I have has been a blessing of the highest magnitude, but you also learn pretty quickly about some of the challenges faced. Mobility issues are a huge thing for parents, especially as their kids grow and the limitation of things can happen quickly if there's no way to get the child where they need to be safely. At Trinity Health, it's an entire team of skilled professionals that do an assessment on the big picture. What are the areas that need special consideration? What will be the next steps as the kids grow? How can we help with insurance and how can we make people aware that there are programs to help? This is what makes Trinity Health such a great asset to have in Muskegon. It's the comprehensive care from every aspect of the team that makes the difference. 
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There's a lot to learn here. Holly is incredible with her passion for protection. She's going to talk a lot about the Special Need Child Seat Clinic and remind you too that Trinity Health offers clinic visits for regular car seats too. It's Trinity's thought that keeping you out of the hospital is the best way to a healthy community and that begins with making sure you're as safe as you can be, including in a car seat. Take a listen.
Let's stop and think a minute about kids and safety. At some point in life, when these critters come along, a change happens. Just how fragile people are comes in to focus and to me, the idea of a scraped knee is a horror movie. Making safety a priority is a big deal and the resources are right here with Trinity Health for both the Special Needs community as well as kids and families who just need to know that they have the best possibilities to protect their kids and the assurance of knowing that a health care company is paying it forward with programs like this, and people like Holly. If you need to know more, or would like to schedule an appointment, please reach out to 231-672-6940 or you can visit SAFE KIDS WEST MICHIGAN to schedule an appointment.
