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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1991, the communities
of South-Central Idaho conducted a needs assessment, which identified
four health priorities for the communities: drugs and alcohol
abuse, tobacco use, teenage pregnancy and injuries. One of the
most pressing health issues was found to be unintentional injuries,
which, at 55 per 100,000, was the highest in the state (one-third
higher than the state rate of 39.9 percent), and almost twice
the national rate of 29.6 percent. Factors attributing to the
high injury rates were reasons relating to the rural nature of
the communities, which included an increased tolerance for risky
and unsafe behavior.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Magic
Valley SAFE KIDS Coalition was the reduction of injuries in the
communities of South-Central Idaho through the following objectives:
- Attaining the Healthy
People 2000 goal of only 29 unintentional deaths per 100,000
- Reducing the numbers
of children treated for non-fatal injuries in the emergency department
by 20 percent by the year 2000
- Developing a comprehensive
program to address injuries through prevention
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Magic Valley SAFE
KIDS Coalition was initiated in 1991 through the efforts of a
local pediatrician in Twin Falls, Idaho, who treated most of
the pediatric trauma cases processed through the Magic Valley
Regional Medical Center. The pediatrician enlisted the help of
the Medical Center to donate space and personnel for establishing
a center to address the injury prevention needs of the communities
served by the Medical Center.
The primary strategy
designed to meet the goals of injury reduction was the development
of a SAFE KIDS Coalition—the foundation for implementing
a number of programs and activities. The key programs established
by the Coalition as conduits for all activities included:
- Head Smart for promoting
bicycle safety through use of helmets
- Interactive Driver's
Training for teenage driver's education using a simulator
- SAFE KIDS Buckle Up
for promoting use of seat belts and child safety seats
- Farm Safety Day Camps
to promote agricultural safety
- YouthNet for delivering
community-wide youth and family asset-building activities
Using these primary
programs as the vehicles for all injury prevention activities,
the Coalition sponsored a variety of age-specific activities
on more than 13 safety areas, and included healthy decision-making
activities.
The Coalition was initially
developed with seed money from the Section 402 program; however,
the program quickly became largely self-sustaining, giving rise
to creation of the Center of Excellence in Rural Healthcare,
under which the Coalition currently operates through a creative
mix of funds from grants, foundations, donations, volunteer services,
and an increasingly smaller sum from the Section 402 program. |
