SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTGS) — Hyundai Motor Group of America handed over a $25,000 check to Memorial Health’s Dwaine and Cynthia Willett Children’s Hospital Thursday morning as part of a nationwide initiative.
The donation was made to support a program aiming to provide safety resources to the hospital. The Safe Kids Program Initiative is a program that hospitals around the world have joined including Memorial Health.
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Through the program, families can receive free car seat inspections to ensure their car seat is safe. Families could potentially receive a new car seat if needed.
According to the Safe Kids Savannah, accidental injury is the number one cause of death for children under the age of 14.
Heather Newsome serves as the assistant chief nursing officer for Memorial Health’s Children’s Hospital, and she said the hospital’s role extends past just taking care of children while they’re hospitalized.
“A big part of what we do is not just taking care of sick kids while they’re in the hospital but really being able to care for our kids in the community and hopefully prevent a few from having to be here in the first place,” Newsome said.
Memorial Health’s newly-named CEO, Brad Talbert, said partnerships like these with Hyundai Motors are not just a plus for the hospital but for the community as well.
“We saw 45,000 kids in our ER last year alone, [and] many of those kids may not be riding around our town in a safe car seat,” Talbert said. “So, the ability to not only give them a safe car seat but also educate them and train them on how to use that car seat is a big deal.”
Talbert also added that with the growth expected to come to Savannah, this partnership proves that Hyundai is willing to support the community.
“The City of Savannah area is growing; I think we’re slated to grow [by] over 25,000 residents in the next few years. Hyundai is a big part of that,” Talbert said. “We’re just pleased that Hyundai is showing its commitment to our community by giving back.”
Safe Kids Savannah is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations that prevent accidental injuries. To learn more about the program, click here.
