Corydon, August 23, 2012: Wayne County Hospital is pleased to announce Heidi Lancaster, RN has received her Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) certification.
Ms. Lancaster completed the national four day certification program which included skills testing and written exams. This is a renewable two year certification. The National CPST Certification Program is a Partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids and State Farm Insurance.
“Since she is the only CPST in the area, we are extremely pleased Heidi received her certification. Young children make up a large percentage of our patients and we want to ensure we are instructing these families how to properly install their car seats and safely care for children while in a moving vehicle,” commented Sheila Mattly, CNO.
As a qualified CPST Ms. Lancaster is available to legally provide information about car seats; she is certified to install car seats and she can teach how to correctly install and use car seats. She is also available as a presenter for group meetings.
To ensure children are traveling safely, parents and caregivers need to be able to answer the following questions when preparing to transport a child in a vehicle: Do you have a car seat? Do you know the history of your car seat? When does your car seat expire? Do you know how to use your car seat? Do you know how to install your car seat? If you have answered ‘no’ to any of these questions, please contact Ms. Lancaster at Wayne County Hospital so she can inspect and assist you with your car seat.
Motor Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury death for Iowa children ages 1 and up. The good news is car seats are very effective when used correctly. However, the bad news is approximately 9 out of 10 car seats in Iowa are used incorrectly.
Wayne County Hospital knows this will provide a great service to our new families. Please contact Heidi Lancaster, RN for additional information or any questions pertaining to child passenger safety at 641-872-2260.