About Us

Safe Kids Upstate is one of more than 630 coalitions affiliated with Safe Kids Worldwide®, an organization whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. There are 15 Safe Kids coalitions in South Carolina.

 

Safe Kids Upstate Coalition, led by the Children's Hospital of Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center under the department of Children’s Advocacy, consists of almost 100 community partners who join together to fight unintentional injuries. These partners include the following:

  • Law enforcement officers

  • Firefighters and paramedics

  • Medical healthcare professionals

  • Educators

  • Business leaders

  • Community service professionals

The Need for Safe Kids

  • The South Carolina death and injury rate continues to be higher than the national average.

  • A child dies as a result of an injury every day in the state of South Carolina.

  • Accidental injury is the number one killer of children age 14 and under in the United States.

  • Accidental injury kills more children in the United States than diseases, kidnappings, and drugs combined.

  • These injuries cost society $175 billion annually.

  • Ninety percent of these injuries could be prevented if families took the simple steps necessary to protect their children.