Richard Childress Racing will feature the Childress Institute for Pediatric Traumaon the No. 31 Chevrolet driven by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Burton at Martinsville Speedway this weekend.
“We take for granted that the best emergency care for our children is always available, but that is not the case. Critically-injured patients treated in a certified trauma center have a 25% increased rate of survival,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing and co-founder of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma. “We wanted to spotlight the need for awareness by running a paint scheme featuring the Institute this weekend.”
Nearly 10,000 children die each year due to life-threatening injuries – more than all other causes combined. The Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma invests resources in research, medical education and awareness to improve the treatment for critically injured children across the United States.
“Life-threatening injuries kill more children in America than all other causes combined, and it is our mission of save the lives of injured children,” said CIPT Executive Director Dr. Wayne Meredith. “The Childress Institute is grateful to Richard Childress, Jeff Burton and everyone at RCR for helping us raise awareness about the No. 1 killer of children in America.”
The Cross family learned all too well how important it is to receive care from appropriately-trained first responders and the expertise of a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. Their 15-year-old daughter, Meredith, sustained a traumatic brain injury when she fell off her horse. The speed and expertise in care that Meredith received resulted in multiple procedures and surgeries by highly skilled pediatric specialists because the Cross family had access to an American College of Surgeon’s approved Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. The Childress Institute helped the trauma center achieve Level 1 status by pushing for improved pediatric trauma care and providing funding for research and medical education. After much work and care on everyone’s part, Meredith is back at school playing in the marching band and almost fully recovered. You can listen to Meredith and her family tell their story at http://www.YouTube.com/ChildressInstitute.
To learn more about pediatric trauma, visit www.InjuredKids.org and join the Childress Champions by clicking the green “Donate” button. You can also find CIPT on Twitter @injuredkids and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChildressPediatricTrauma.
RCR PR
