UCSF Launches Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety (ChiPPS) Program to Reduce Pediatric Injury in San Francisco

San Francisco, CA  —  January 28, 2025 — UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals has announced the launch of the UCSF Child Passenger and Pedestrian Safety (ChiPPS) Program, a new injury prevention initiative based in the Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Emergency Department. The program is supported by a $250,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The ChiPPS program, which runs through September 2026, aims to reduce pediatric transport-related morbidity and mortality in San Francisco. Through education, community outreach, and the distribution of safety resources, the program will focus on enhancing child passenger and pedestrian safety, with a particular emphasis on communities that bear a disproportionate burden of traffic-related injuries and deaths.

“Unintentional injury remains one of the leading causes of harm to children in this country, and transportation-related injuries are a major contributor in San Francisco,” said Carol Chen, MD, MPH, ChiPPS’ program manager, medical co-director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG), and an associate clinical professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at UCSF. “This program allows us to meet families where they are, both in the emergency department and perhaps even more importantly, in the community, with practical tools and education that can save lives.”

The program is led by Dr. Chen in close collaboration with Rigo Del Toro, an injury prevention coordinator at ZSFG. Del Toro brings extensive experience in child injury prevention, having previously served as the Child Injury Prevention Coordinator at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. In addition to Dr. Chen and Del Toro, the program’s launch was supported by the leadership and contributions of Kate Farley, Erika Kandalov, Maria Sandoval, Jackie Hogan-Schlientz, MD, and Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan, MD.

The ChiPPS team will work in partnership with established injury prevention programs across the UCSF system, including those at UCSF Benioff Oakland and ZSFG, as well as with community organizations throughout San Francisco. Partner organizations include the Southeast Community Center, Wu Yee Children’s Services, and the GLIDE Center, among others. By strengthening collaboration between health care providers and community partners, the program aims to expand access to safety education and resources for families and caregivers, helping to create safer streets and safer travel for children across the city.

Physicians, staff, and community partners interested in learning more about or working with the ChiPPS program are encouraged to contact [email protected][email protected] .