HANCOCK COUNTY CHILDREN’S COUNCIL Receives GRANTS to Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome

The Hancock County Children’s Council, a program of Downeast Health Services Inc., has received grants from the Maine Children’s Trust ($6,000) and the Maine Community Foundation ($5,500) to develop and implement a new Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention program in Downeast Maine.

Experts agree that awareness of Shaken Baby Syndrome is critical for everyone who cares for an infant, responds to family emergencies, or trains future parents, babysitters and child care providers. Shaking a baby in anger or frustration can lead to permanent disability and even death.

These grants will purchase new Shaken Baby demonstration models as well as supplemental materials to help workshop participants learn to manage frustration in caring for an infant. Children under age 2 are most at risk, as their heads and necks are very weak. Shaking a baby just once could lead to: brain damage, blindness, seizures, behavior disorders, learning disabilities, paralysis, or death.

The shaken baby simulator is designed with a transparent head that clearly defines the traumatic brain injuries caused by this underreported and often misdiagnosed form of child abuse. When the simulator is shaken, affected sections of the brain light up to illustrate where brain damage has occurred.

Funding from the Hancock County Fund and the Holt Family Fund of the Maine Community Foundation will be dedicated to prevention education and community outreach in Hancock and Washington counties. A statewide organization with offices in Ellsworth and Portland, the Maine Community Foundation works in partnership with donors and community groups to strengthen Maine. Visit the Foundation’s website at www.mainecf.org or call 1-877-700-6800 for more information.

The new Shaken Baby Syndrome Simulator™ will enhance the Children’s Council Baby Think It Over® program significantly. In addition to the new shaken baby prevention curriculum, we offer demonstration infants to address the conditions of fetal alcohol syndrome and drug-affected infants. Our science-based program featuring the RealCare® Baby infant simulator is used to teach proper infant care skills to middle-school and high-school students, as well as prospective parents. The realistic head support feature demonstrates the fragility of infants and the computerized infant provides detailed information about the care provided by the student or future parent.

The Maine Children’s Trust grant will also enable the Children’s Council to purchase 5 new infant simulators for our Baby Think It Over® program. In addition to providing our program to school coordinators, we will offer our program directly to the community. We anticipate small groups of home-schooled students or community schools with small populations will access this educational opportunity during the next school year. To reserve the Baby Think It Over® materials for your school or community group, please call Candy Eaton, 667-5304 ext. 261.

The mission of the Maine Children’s Trust is to prevent the abuse and neglect of Maine’s children. A non-profit agency, the Trust is appointed by the Governor to administer federal child abuse grant funds, and holds the State charter for Prevent Child Abuse Maine. The Maine Children’s Trust is supported by the CBFRS portion of the federal CAPTA grant, Maine State Income Tax check-off designations and the generosity of corporate and private donations. Visit the Trust’s website at www.mechildrenstrust.org or call 207-623-5120 for more information.

The Hancock County Children’s Council collaborates with many local and statewide partners to reduce and prevent child abuse. The Council has an extensive collection of books and videotapes on subjects designed to help children and families live healthier lives. The Family Resource Center Library is available to all residents in Hancock County and is located at Downeast Health Services, 52 Christian Ridge Road, Ellsworth, ME. Please call 667-5304 ext. 261, email children@downeasthealth.org or visit our website at www.downeasthealth.org for additional information on parenting classes, child development and family resources available in Hancock County.