Catoosa County Health Department is the recipient of the 2010 Car Seat Mini-Grant from the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Injury Prevention Program. Through the Mini-Grant Program, Catoosa County Health Department and the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office work together to provide car seats and child passenger safety education to financially eligible families in Catoosa County.

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety funds this program to help ensure that Georgia's children are safe while riding in motor vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent among infants and by 54 percent among children ages one to four years in passenger cars. Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly. Three out of every four car seats are not properly used, leaving these children less than optimally protected.

"It's our responsibility to keep our children safe," said Amy Carroll, RNBSN. "The car seat Mini-Grant is a great opportunity to help reduce the number of young lives lost in crashes."

In Catoosa County, technicians from the Health Department and the Sheriff's Office educate parents and caregivers on how to properly install and use car seats, offer car seat inspections and provide car seats and booster seats to financially eligible families. Last year 64 seats were issued to the families of Catoosa County. Through the Mini-Grant Program, agencies supporting more than 125 counties are working to keep Georgia's children safe. These programs help families get their children buckled up right, every trip, every time.

For more information about the Catoosa County car seat program, contact Beth Ramey at (706) 935-2366.