Demystifying the Car Seat Tolerance Screening

Heidi Heflin RN, MN, CPSTI became a Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technician in 2013, then an instructor with training in transportation of children with disabilities and school bus transportation. A year later, she established the CPS exhibit at the American Academy of Pediatric Conference for >10,000 attendees seen annually since. She instantly saw the need to combine her experiences by advising, educating, and advocating for nurses in CPS, leading to national, then international presentations. In 2018, she relaunched CPS-In-Healthcare Google group to support hospitals without CPS staff. She’s written for NANN E-News for neonatal nurses and CPS Express for CPSTs. In 2021, she joined the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and is revising their child restraint policy. She was named a Kidz in Motion ‘CPS Hero’ 2019, 2022, and was a recipient of the SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. 2022 Siegel Child Safety Restraint Award. Her research examining neonatal nurses’ CPS knowledge and practice is pending publication. Heidi ‘s fervor is for working with CPS pioneers in lower- and middle-income countries. Her favorite work is with CPS Malaysia especially when she met with the Director of the Road Safety Council in 2018. When not working, she cycles with friends, hikes with her dog Olive, or ocean-swims with dolphins.

Carrie Rhodes is the Passenger Safety Program Coordinator at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She is a Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor, Certified Health Education Specialist, and instructor for Safe Travel for All Children: Transporting Children with Special Healthcare Needs, and holds a Master of Transportation Safety Administration from Clemson University. In her role as Passenger Safety Program Coordinator, she focuses on facilitating safe transportation at the time of discharge for patients of all ages, from neonates to teens. Her work includes frequent assistance with car seat tolerance screenings across the hospital's neonatal intensive care units, working with families and clinical staff to achieve the correct balance between a neonate's cardiorespiratory safety and their protection in the event of a motor vehicle crash. She is passionate about ensuring NICU staff understand the importance of both neonate positioning and proper car seat use, as well as remaining abreast of the most currently available evidence to inform transportation decisions and practices.