Contra Costa County received an $83,000 state grant to provide no-cost child car seats to low-income families as well as outreach promoting child safety seat education, officials announced today.
The one-year grant from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2021, will fund the Contra Costa Health Services’ Public Health Nursing Car Seat Project, which encourages proper installation and use of child safety seats. Why? Because 46 percent of car seats are misused, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). And that puts lives at risk.
The grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety not only funds free car seats for county nursing case management clients and low-income families, it will also fund one-on-one, virtual appointments to inspect and install car seats; and child safety seat education classes; promotion of importance to discard, via recycling, used and expired car seats. Funds will additionally help the County work with community partners to promote child passenger safety education.
“The Public Health Nursing Program in Contra Costa County serves vulnerable, low-income families who are impacted daily by health inequities,” said Michelle Rivero, a program manager for CCHS. “Our families struggle with meeting the basic needs of the children. Rent, food, clothing all become priorities over car seats, and many of our families use old, expired car seats. This program is a much-needed resource to help keep children safe.”
