In Brief: May 28, 2001

FAMILY IS JOB ONE Corporate child care is hardly a new concept, but the Ford Motor Co. is promising to take this benefit to a new level. The company will offer an ambitious range of subsidized services that include 24-hr. on-site child care, summer camp and tutoring for middle schoolers, recreation and SAT prep for teens as well as financial planning for retirees and assistance to shut-in seniors. Beginning this fall and working closely with the UAW, Ford will roll out the red carpet for employees at 31 family service and learning centers over the next two years.

LOWDOWN E.R. BLUES Although an emergency room is often the best place to spot the early warning signs of suicidal behavior in adolescents, standard screening questionnaires take too long and require too much training to administer. Researchers are developing an effective four-point survey that can be given in less than two minutes by clinicians with no special mental-health training. The goal is the early assessment of suicidal tendencies, the critical first step in intervention and follow-up care.

DEATH FROM ABOVE Falls from windows, fire escapes, roofs and balconies kill 140 children each year in the U.S. and seriously injure 3 million more. The problem is especially bad in the summer for children living in urban apartment buildings. Screens are not enough, warns the American Academy of Pediatrics, which calls for window guards (not bars) and balcony railings that meet building codes.

--By David Bjerklie