From 1990 through 1993, nearly 30 percent of all patients involved in traffic crashes in Alaska resulting in hospital admission or death were within the municipality of Anchorage. Despite this high number, no organized coordinated effort to identify the problems or to design a prevention/intervention strategy had been made.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Safe Communities Anchorage (SCA) recognizes that injuries are a major health care problem. Community stakeholders need to address community injury-related issues. SCA aims to use local leadership to create local solutions to the problems causing injuries. Using the "Safe Communities" model, SCA will design and implement a sustainable project to reduce traffic crash injuries in Anchorage. The coalition will use education, enforcement, engineering, and economic incentive to:

• Develop a plan to reduce injuries involving citizens, Anchorage businesses, hospitals, law enforcement, media, educational system, court system, and local government
• Identify the motor vehicle problem and its causes
• Empower neighborhoods to address injuries and their aftermath in a time of declining resources and uncertainty
• Help agencies and neighborhoods to establish injury prevention strategies
• Use the various skills training available for safety and health officers, Youth Alcohol Education Programs, parent-to-parent programs, EMS community outreaches, and private sector risk managers to implement identified injury-prevention strategies.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

In the first year, SCA will concentrate on the first three components of the model:

• The initial focus will be on problem identification, collection of injury data, and analysis. The information used in problem identification will include Alaska Trauma Registry data, Municipality of Anchorage Traffic Engineering Division Annual Reports, Alaska Native Health Services data, University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research, EMS reports, traffic enforcement tickets, Anchorage School District behavioral risk surveys, and Alaska State Trooper reports.
• Expanding the Safe Communities Anchorage "core group" and general coalition through the development of a Safe Communities marketing video.
• Developing increased citizen participation in the project, using personal contacts and publication in local newsletters to recruit new members. SCA will provide speakers to raise public awareness about community injury matters and recruit new members. Community leaders will be encouraged to conduct "Town Meetings" to improve networking opportunities, increase communication, and share information about successful program efforts. This activity will generate municipal support to work collectively in injury control.

RESULTS

Several traffic safety projects in Anchorage have been very successful, particularly those focusing on public information and education. The Safe Communities concept was introduced and has been well received by key leaders at the state and community level. A strong working coalition made up of both the private and public sector has formed Safe Community Anchorage, and is in the process of developing a plan that aligns with Alaska's Injury Prevention Plan.