Protecting Kids from Dangerous Injuries

Angelica Baker, the manager of the Injury Prevention Program at Phoenix Children’s, has spent the last 16 years helping keep kids safe.

The Injury Prevention Program counts on its partners to provide the products and resources people in the community need. “Every product we give out—every life jacket and car seat, and even our continuing education—is due to philanthropic support,” Baker says.

Her program offers classes for parents and caregivers, and products that protect kids at home, around water and on the road. Among these essential items are pack-and plays for secure naps, bike helmets for adventurous rides and life jackets for enjoying fun-filled days at the pool or lake.

Baker loves helping people in the community find solutions to keep their kids safer. For example, some children still need physical support after they’ve outgrown typical car seats, while some have behavioral issues, causing them to get out of the vehicle or hit the driver. “Through philanthropy, we’ve been able to get some large medical seats and donate them to families in need,” she says.

She also sometimes works with refugee resettlement agencies. “These are families that just arrived, and their first interaction with a seat belt was on the airplane ride here. Now we’re teaching them that their child needs to be in a car seat. It’s really rewarding,” she says.

Baker and her team also distribute medication lockboxes and disposable bags to help families secure medications during mental health crises.

Baker describes her position as the best job ever. “I love what I do,” she says. “My team and I are passionate about being able to connect with families and make a difference. The greatest reward we can get is to know a child was safer because we did something.”