Congrats to Jill Lucas, winner of the 2021 Governor’s EMS Award for Outstanding Contributions for Children

Congratulations to Jill Lucas Drakeford for winning the 2021 Governor’s EMS Award for Outstanding Contribution to Emergency Medical Service for Children. Preventable injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States. Jill Lucas Drakeford has made it her mission to reverse that statistic. As a Community Health Educator and Carilion Clinic’s Safe Kids Southwest Virginia Coordinator, Jill goes above and beyond to protect the health and safety of our region’s children. She is dedicated to educating parents, caregivers and children throughout Southwest Virginia on injury prevention. Jill regularly collaborates with local fire, EMS, and police departments to provide car seat safety checks and injury prevention education. She also provides health education presentations and leads programs that focus on child passenger safety, falls safety, poison prevention, sleep safety, and so much more. Since 2008, Jill has participated in 873 child safety events, serving more than 26,671 people! Whether giving a safety demonstration for hundreds of people at a health fair or performing one-on-one car seat safety checks, her work has made a real and significant impact on the families of Southwest Virginia. For example, Jill performs an average of around 260 car seat checks per year—with more than half of people arriving with their car seat incorrectly installed. The service she provides is invaluable, as correctly used car seats can reduce the risk of death by up to 71%. Jill is an incredible asset to Carilion Clinic and our community. Our region’s children are undoubtedly safer thanks to her efforts.Congrats!