Central Peninsula Hospital | Thrive | Spring 2018

Summer is the ultimate laid-back time— think flip-flops, T-shirts and barbecues, fishing and fun! Although it’s easy to be casual about many things in the summer, it’s not good to be casual about safety. With warmer weather comes the risk for certain inju- ries and health problems—some serious enough to be life-threatening. Here are some suggestions on how to keep you and your family safe: Secure home windows. Opening the windows is a must on our warmer summer days if you don’t have air conditioning or if you’re simply trying to keep your electric bill in check. But keep this in mind if children are in your home: Every year thousands of kids in the U.S. are killed or injured in falls from windows. You can’t depend on screens to keep children safe. Your best choice is to install window guards or window stops—especially on bedroom windows. You can buy them online or at hardware stores. Also, try to keep furniture away from windows to discourage kids from climbing near windows. Make helmets a priority. Many kids practically live on their bikes during the summer. Before yours hop on theirs, make sure they’re wearing a helmet. Helmets help reduce the risk of head injury and of death from bicycle crashes. Watch out for heatstroke. As the temperature rises, so does the risk of a heat-related illness. Even in Alaska! The most serious one is heatstroke, which is a medical emergency. Signs and symptoms include a body temperature of 103 degrees or higher; hot, red, dry or damp skin; a rapid and strong pulse; and possible uncon- sciousness. Call 911 immediately if you think someone has heatstroke. Move the person to a cooler environment, and try to bring his or her temperature down with cool cloths or a bath. Don’t give fluids. Kids Don’t Float! Summertime in Alaska brings kids and adults outdoors to enjoy our oceans, rivers and lakes. Children need to be part of this, but they also deserve to be safe. Alaska has the highest drowning rate in the country. From 1996 to 2000, drowning was the leading cause of death for kids 5 to 9 years old in Alaska. Over 90 percent of the victims did not wear a life jacket. The Kids Don’t Float loaner boards at local boat launches are one way our com- munity helps give kids something that floats. If your child does not have their own personal flotation device, these sites have jackets that can be used and returned. Sources: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Im- munology; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Safe Kids Worldwide; U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Have a safe summer DOES YOUR CHILD NEED A HELMET? SAFEKIDS OF THE KENAI PENINSULA HAS HELMETS FOR KIDS If your child needs a helmet to enjoy summer activities safely, SafeKids provides low-cost helmets and will help fit them on your child for best results. Call SafeKids of the Kenai Peninsula at 907-714-4539 or email safekids@cpgh.org to make an appointment. PULSE is published as a community service for the friends and patrons of Central Peninsula Hospital, 250 Hospital Place, Soldotna, AK, 99669, phone 907-714-4404 , website cpgh.org . CEO: Rick Davis Marketing Manager: Camille Sorensen Information in PULSE comes from a wide range of medical experts. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please call 907-714-4600 or email marketing@cpgh.org . 2018 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. PULSE Spring 2018 7