For Immediate Release
September 1, 2009
Contact: Julie Brewer
931-372-6383
www.seatbeltvolunteer.org

Ollie the Otter “measures up” at 1st Rural Health Clinic in Tennessee

Next to the weight scale in Putnam County’s Rural Health Clinic, located in Baxter, TN, is Ollie the Otter’s 4’9” poster. Ollie visited the clinic on June 9th, and took the opportunity to leave information for the patients around the Putnam County area. Now as the children get weighed for their doctor’s appointment, they can also use the Ollie poster to show them whether or not they need to be in a booster seat.

Putting information about Ollie and the Tennessee law about booster seats helps Ollie reach children who attend schools he may not have presented yet, it allows us to give information straight to the parents, and it gives Ollie the opportunity to inform parents whose children may not be in school yet, but will be ready for a booster seat when they reach the age of four.

Children ages 4-7 who use booster seats are fifty-nine percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seatbelt, according to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Posting booster seat facts like this in rural health clinics is just one more channel that Ollie can use to teach children and parents about safe habits and practices.

Are you a doctor, nurse, or volunteer for a health clinic, doctor’s office, or hospital? Contact TTU’s Business Media Center at 931-372-6333 or visit seatbeltvolunteer.org to schedule a visit from Ollie the Otter.