Center for Advocacy & Outreach
We Reach Beyond our Hospital Walls to Help Care for Kids
The Center for Advocacy & Outreach at Blank Children's Hospital is a statewide resource for education and information regarding children's issues. We use the expertise of our healthcare staff to enhance the development of safe and healthy children in our community. We also advocate on behalf of children with our legislators about what's right for children and families, and to ensure that the laws that are passed help prevent injuries or give all children access to health care.
Our Initiatives
We are concerned about the health, safety and well-being of children. We focus our efforts around the following initiatives:
- Advocacy
- Community Health
- Injury Prevention
- Medical Outreach
Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program
Everyone has the right to be safe, strong and free. The CAP program is a personal safety education program for schools. It uses a three-pronged approach to prevent child assault and maltreatment by presenting workshops for school staff, parents and elementary school children.
Healthy Kids Program
The Healthy Kids Program aims to help all children live healthy lives by providing education and programming for children, parents, educators, child care providers and healthcare providers, with a goal of preventing and treating elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) and associated diseases such as diabetes.
Child Passenger Safety
As children grow, how they ride in a vehicle should change. Keep your child safe by following the Iowa Child Passenger Safety Law and Best Practice Guidelines. Based out of Blank Children's Hospital, Iowa's Child Passenger Safety Program provides information and assistance for child passenger safety issues.
Fire Safety House
The Fire Safety House at Blank Children's Hospital is an education program designed to teach children important aspects of fire safety and severe weather education. The Fire Safety House offers hands-on learning to prepare children for the unexpected and frightening experience of a fire. In addition to teaching children about fire safety, the house is used to teach children what to do in severe weather, such as thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Safety Store
The Hannah Geneser Learning Center & Safety Store is committed to making safety a priority for all families. Many are surprised to hear preventable injuries are the leading cause of death and injury for children of all ages (1 to 19 years old). That's why we provide a variety of safety products and have experts on hand to help you follow best practices as your child grows. When you leave, we want you to feel confident that you have all the information you need to help keep your family safe. We provide one-on-one education for the proper use of each product you purchase.
Safe Kids
Safe Kids Iowa, led by Blank Children's Hospital, is a diverse group of individuals and agencies who strive to prevent unintentional injuries from occurring to Iowa children. Safe Kids Iowa is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury.
Medical Outreach
The Blank Children's Hospital medical outreach team goes beyond the hospital walls to provide pediatric, neonatal and OB education for health care professionals and emergency medical service providers across the state. We provide online educational webinars and classes on the Blank Children's Hospital campus, and can also provide classes on your campus. Browse and register for upcoming conferences from our Medical Outreach team.
National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification
Blank Children's Hospital is a designated Gold Certified Safe Sleep Hospital by Cribs for Kids®. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Blank Children's Hospital is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and providing training programs for healthcare team members, and family caregivers. Learn more about safe sleep practices for your baby.
Safe Sleep Education
