Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
It's hard to think of a more important mission, quite honestly, than child safety. Thank you to Creighton's Institute for Population Health for recognizing this need and acting on it.
Check out the Child Safety Center
The Child Safety Center will hold an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 2112 N. 30th St., Suite 101. Please join us for tours, children's activities, refreshments, safety info, door prizes and more.
Read more about the new Child Safety Center and visit its website.
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On Wednesday, Nov. 12, Creighton University leaders, partners and friends celebrated the opening of the University's new Child Safety Center in Creighton's recently renovated space in the Highlander Accelerator, 2112 N. 30th St.
At a special event, multiple speakers — including Omaha mayor John Ewing, Jr. — discussed the benefits the Child Safety Center will bring to North Omaha as a hub for resources and practical, hands-on education aimed at preventing child injuries.
"Accidental injuries are the No. 1 cause of death in kids, with more than 12,000 children dying every year in the U.S. from preventable injuries like poisoning, drowning, falling and gun and motor vehicle accidents," said Scott Shipman, MD, MPH, Creighton’s CyncHealth Endowed Chair for Population Health and the founding executive director of the Institute for Population Health, which will manage the Child Safety Center.
"Across Nebraska, like many places, many shrug off injuries as bad luck, but in fact, there are steps that we can take through policy and through practice to reduce risks of the most significant harms to children, to prevent the preventable."
Other speakers at the Child Safety Center's opening included: Mayor Ewing; Chanda Chacón, MPH, FACHE, president and CEO of Children's Nebraska, which is partnering with Creighton to launch the Child Safety Center; and Rev. Dr. Jarvis A. Ellis, Sr., Senior Pastor-Elect of Salem Baptist Church, which is a block north of the new safety center.
Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr.: "Spaces like these are critically important to our community ... It's an opportunity to see a chapter in human transformation, seeing how North Omaha's longstanding neighbor Creighton University is building a bridge with North Omaha, seeing how Children's Nebraska is building a bridge with North Omaha. It's hard to think of a more important mission, quite honestly, than child safety ... Thank you to Creighton's Institute for Population Health for recognizing this need and acting on it."
Chanda Chacón, president and CEO of Children's Nebraska: "At Children's Nebraska, our mission is very clear: to improve the lives of every child, and that mission doesn't stop at the doors of our hospital. It extends into our neighborhoods, communities and homes in our region. That's why we're so proud to partner with Creighton's Institute for Population Health on this very important initiative. The Child Safety Center is a meaningful example of how collaboration can make a lasting difference, bringing together educators, health professionals and community members around a shared goal: keeping children and families safe and healthy."
"We know that many childhood injuries and even deaths are preventable. Through education, outreach and access to resources, we can help families take steps to reduce those risks. Together, we're not only teaching safety; we're empowering parents with tools and confidence to protect their children. The Child Safety Center represents what's best about Omaha: collaboration, compassion and shared belief that every child deserves a chance to grow and be safe and to thrive."
Scott Shipman, executive director of the Institute for Population Health: "Each of us can be empowered to make a difference in our homes and in gathering spaces like schools and churches and throughout our community to prevent preventable injuries. The job of the Child Safety Center is to help make it easy, or at least easier, to do the right thing to prevent harm to children from preventable injuries. The Child Safety Center will operate from this hub, but also by getting out into schools and churches, partnering with the North Omaha community on their priorities."
Mardell Wilson, EdD, Creighton provost: "Since 2018, the Highlander Accelerator has grown into a hub for education, wellness and community engagement, and we are honored to contribute to that purpose. Through our Institute for Population Health, Creighton partners with neighbors, listens to community needs and provides tools to help everyone have a better, healthier life. The new Child Safety Center is a vital part of this mission."
Rev. Dr. Jarvis A. Ellis, Sr., Senior Pastor-Elect of Salem Baptist Church: "At Salem, we have a saying that the best season of our life is just ahead. The very fact that this Child Safety Center is built right in the heart of the community is a great indicator that we're heading in that direction."
Scott Shipman: "It's not the goal of the Child Safety Center to bubblewrap kids. We want to let kids be kids. But, as a community, we can find straightforward ways to reduce risks through simple actions like proper use and installation of a car seat, wearing a helmet when biking, skating or scootering, moving poisons or medications out of the reach of kids, storing guns safely so that children can't access them. The Child Safety Center will be a hub of education, of service and a convenient place to obtain supplies like car seats, bike helmets, gun lock boxes and more."
For questions about Creighton's Child Safety Center, contact Emily Sutton at pophealth@creighton.edu or 402.280.3965.
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Check out the Child Safety Center
The Child Safety Center will hold an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 2112 N. 30th St., Suite 101. Please join us for tours, children's activities, refreshments, safety info, door prizes and more.
Read more about the new Child Safety Center and visit its website.
