Injury prevention programs are delivered to populations identified through NTRACS (trauma registry). The implementation of injury prevention programs in North Central Indiana has helped Memorial strive toward attainment of Level II Trauma Center verification, as well as enhancing the existing community outreach efforts. Several programs have been initiated which address falls, helmet use / bicycle safety, and motor vehicle safety. Additional components of some of the programs include water safety, gun safety, recreational / sports safety, violence prevention and conflict resolution. Effective injury prevention programming began as a result of an injury prevention committee that included members of our community as well as hospital staff.

The Memorial Injury Prevention Committee selected the following programs for implementation during 2001:

Think First for Kids
Think First for Teens
Trauma Nurses Talk Tough About Saving Your Life
TraumaRoo
Operation Home Safe Home

Since trauma is a disease that can affect any age group, committee members decided that repeated exposure to safety topics via multiple injury prevention programs would best meet the needs of our community. Think First for Teens programs have been presented to high school students in St. Joseph County for approximately ten years with accompaniment of an injured or paralyzed community member at each presentation. Presentations of Think First for Kids began in March, 2001, targeting kindergarten through third graders. Memorial will exceed the goal of reaching 1,600 kids by December 31, 2001. Think First and Trauma Nurses Talk Tough About Saving Your Life was presented to over 1,000 kids from March through June, 2001. The School Health Prevention Coordinators, presented Think First in more than seven schools. They work directly with students, teachers and principals of the South Bend, Mishawaka and Penn schools of St. Joseph County, Indiana to provide health prevention programs to the children of our community. Think First for Kids was implemented in March in the after school programs. Schedules were coordinated to allow Think First for Kids to be presented either in the spring or fall of 2001. Several of the School Health Prevention Coordinators were retained during the summer months to present programs to kids at the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, parks and community health fairs.

Trauma Nurses Talk Tough About Saving Your Life provides an opportunity to reach multiple age groups. Nurses and Paramedics present an interactive slide program to targeted audiences. The audience, regardless of age, tends to get involved by sharing experiences and asking questions to learn more about safety. According to Wendy Hums, RN, Trauma Program Manager/Outreach Coordinator, "Our most fulfilling experience with this program was definitely unexpected. Little did I know that while presenting the program to an audience of 10- to 12-year-olds at the YMCA (with a blind girl participating) we would have yet another golden opportunity to make an even bigger difference with our injury prevention efforts. When the young blind girl's mother learned from her daughter about the Trauma Nurses Talk Tough About Saving Your Life presentation her daughter participated in, she wanted to do something special for her. She enlisted the help of the local media to find a donor for a tandem bicycle and a helmet for her daughter. The YMCA personnel contacted Memorial Trauma Services to provide helmets to the group of children who attend a summer program that includes weekly bike rides. Only those who have helmets are allowed to join in the fun. Since our HealthWorks! Kids' Museum staff have partnered with Trauma Services to fit the helmets that are given out to those who attend our injury prevention programs, we were able to provide and fit nearly 30 kids with a helmet for their next Friday bike outing. The special opportunity in this event was to fit the young blind girl with a new helmet so she could enjoy the bike ride with her friends. The challenge of the slide presentation was to continuously provide a description of each picture so the blind girl could benefit from the program along with the other children. A very kind friend of the blind girl helped her complete the evaluation form. This presentation took on a whole new meaning for me as a trauma nurse coordinator. I'll always remember the expression on her face and the questions she asked during my presentation. The personal gratification of knowing what a difference my presentation made in this child's life will be remembered forever."

Memorial will soon have a new member of our Memorial character family - Troo the Trauma Roo. Troo will be accompany Injury Prevention staff to day care centers, kindergarten classes and other community events where we present the American Trauma Society injury prevention programs. Troo and the injury prevention programs are being made possible through the support of our Community Health Alliance Group. The pediatric Intensive Care, Pediatric Transport (Mobile ICU) nurses and the Emergency Nurses will present the Trauma Roo programs in our community.

Beginning in the Fall of 2001, Memorial Trauma Services, HealthWorks! Kids' Museum and an epidemiologist from Indiana University of South Bend will begin a research project that will evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted injury prevention program in our community. Students in the second grade will receive a voucher for a free helmet after participating in a Think First or Trauma Nurses Talk Tough About Saving Your Life Program. The students will be given vouchers to receive a free helmet (and fitting) along with a free family admission to HealthWorks!. Helmets will be available for parental purchase ($6.00) too. Siblings may receive helmets for free by participating in an interactive bicycle/helmet program at HealthWorks! Kids' Museum. Parents are included in this effort to participate as the role model to wear helmets. Short-term and long-term evaluations will occur for consenting participants. A Family Safety night will begin January, 2002 at HealthWorks! Kids' Museum. Nurses, paramedics and educators will present an injury prevention program once a month. Helmets and entry into HealthWorks! Kids' Museum will be promoted throughout the community.

SAFE KIDS Coalition of St. Joseph County was formed in March 2001 as a result of attending a Safe Community meeting. A local police officer, already offering Car Seat Training programs in Indiana, was looking for some assistance with starting a local SAFE KIDS coalition. "Realizing the importance of community support of injury prevention programs, I offered to mail out invitations and get involved as the co-coordinator. Invitations were sent to schools, community leaders, healthcare providers, police officers, EMS providers, firefighters and day care centers. Our kick-off event centered around Mayor Steven Luecke (South Bend, IN ) and Mayor Robert Beutter (Mishawaka, IN) presenting SAFE KIDS awards to 8 children who had drawn pictures and described what summer safety meant to them," recalled Hums.

Operation Home Safe Home is targeted for the Fall of 2001. The nursing staff of the Ortho/Neuro unit, Emergency Nurses, and Home Care nurses will be presenting home safety programs to the adult and senior citizens. Memorial is planning a community-wide blitz where members of the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and children of Memorial Hospital of South Bend will perform a safety assessment of a senior citizen's home to identify safety needs (excess scattered rugs, smoke detectors, medicines out of reach of children, etc.). Provision of home safety items where needed will be made possible through the support of the Memorial Community Health Alliance Group.

Memorial Trauma Services and Air Angels nurses and paramedics have partnered their resources to present one-to-two hour trauma programs that are part of a Trauma Education Series. Each program focuses on a specific body system affected by trauma. Wendy Hums and Trey Caraway, Memorial Air Angels South Bend Flight Program Manager, are coordinating, developing and presenting trauma programs throughout northern Indiana. Jan Howard, RN, MSN, is presenting a basic trauma class and one-hour topics from the Trauma Education Series to Memorial Staff. Due to the outstanding efforts of Ken Nemes, Transport Outreach Coordinator, flyers announcing the Trauma Education Series have been marketed to hospitals and EMS services throughout northern Indiana. The target audience for professional education includes nurses, paramedics, EMTs, physicians, and first responders. The programs are designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals involved in the care of the trauma patient. A Basic Trauma Class taught by Howard is expanding the knowledge and skills of many staff within Memorial Hospital. Hums has brought the Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) and the Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC) to the hospital, as well as marketing to and inviting nurses from other hospitals in Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan. Scott Thomas, MD, Medical Director of Trauma Services, is the Course Director for the ATLS courses being taught in St. Joseph County. Trauma Services and Memorial Air Angels personnel are also providing trauma education businesses and community groups upon request. Thanks to the commitment, dedication and hard work of staff, Memorial is making great contributions toward providing optimal care to the injured patient in North Central Indiana.