Press Release

November 30, 2005
Eileen Shields, Public Information Officer, 415/554-2507

DPH + Injury Center ♥ Kids’ Plates

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Injury Center for Research and Prevention at UCSF, with funding from Kids’ Plates, have teamed up to develop a statewide leadership network for health professionals in injury prevention.

Kids’ Plates, a state license plate campaign, generates funds for child injury and abuse prevention and childcare health and safety programs. Kids’ Plates can feature a heart, star, hand or plus sign to make a personalized plate such as I ♥ MY DOG or GR+MA. Proceeds from Kids’ Plates sales are distributed to child injury prevention (25%), child abuse prevention (25%), and child care health and safety (50%) programs.

California Kids’ Plates can be purchased for cars, trucks, and trailers, and cost $50 to begin and $40 per yearly renewal. To purchase Kids’ Plates, vehicle owners should call 1-800-HEY-KIDS or go to http://kidsplates.org.

The injury prevention leadership network will help younger and mid-career health professionals develop skills and resources so they will be prepared to take more leadership as many health workers retire in the next decade.

Injury prevention health professionals specialize in helping the public prevent injuries by working to make our streets and homes safer. Efforts in San Francisco include local traffic safety projects, child safety programs and workshops, and home inspections for older people.

“We hope to see more support for injury prevention efforts,” said Michael Radetsky, DPH’s Injury Prevention Planning Coordinator. “These plates are a way for people to support injury prevention for children, while making their own creative statement.”

For more information on Kids’ Plates or local injury prevention efforts, contact:

Isabel Auerbach, San Francisco Department of Public Health at (415) 575-5684 or Isabel.Auerbach@sfdph.org
Michael Radetsky, San Francisco Department of Public Health at (415) 581-2418 or Michael.Radetsky@sfdph.org
Anna Zacher, San Francisco Injury Center at (415) 206-5952 or azacher@sfghsurg.ucsf.edu

For information on statewide efforts, contact: Shanna Holland, Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice, San Diego at (619) 594-5039 or sholland@projects.sdsu.edu