Saint Joseph London Nurturing Children Program Launches

LONDON The Nurturing Children Program at Saint Joseph London has launched a pilot project at Lynn Camp Elementary School aimed at keeping kids safe when they come in contact with a firearm. The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program kicked off January 5th at the school.

“Through this program, we are eager to provide an effort that builds awareness to help children remain safe around guns,” says John Yanes, president, Saint Joseph London. “We are pleased to be able to partner with schools in southeastern Kentucky to prevent tragedies.”

According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2022, two children under age 11 were killed and 19 injured in gun incidents in Kentucky. Six teens were killed and 53 were injured in the same year in the commonwealth. Across the U.S. between 2015 and 2020, there were at least 2,070 unintentional shootings by children that resulted in 765 deaths and 1,366 nonfatal gun injuries, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The Eddie Eagle program focuses on one mission: to teach children four simple steps so they know what to do if they ever come across a gun. Those easy-to-remember steps are: Stop; Don’t Touch; Run Away; and Tell a grown-up. The program was developed in 1988 by a task force comprised of educators, school administrators, curriculum specialists, urban housing safety officials, clinical psychologists, law enforcement officials and National Rifle Association firearm safety experts.

“Through our violence prevention work, we are always looking for ways to make sure kids understand different situations that could put them in danger,” says Mollie Harris, manager, Violence Prevention Program. “This project could not be possible without the support and work of the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and the Knox County School System.”

Representatives with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and Knox County Schools lauded the opportunity to work with CHI Saint Joseph Health in efforts to protect children.

“The safety and well-being of our children is the greatest priority,” says Steve Owens, school resource officer from the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. “Anytime an opportunity comes along to develop or use a new approach to protect these children, it is our responsibility to try, and then to nurture that. I am beyond excited to have the oppor-