PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Injuries kill or injure one Craighead County, Arkansas resident every two-and one-half hours, and are the fourth leading cause of all deaths in the city of Jonesboro in Craighead County. In 1995, medical costs for injuries in Jonesboro were estimated at more than $7 million per year, with 30 percent of these costs ($2 million) paid for through public funds.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of the Safe Jonesboro Coalition, initiated in 1995, is to reduce preventable injuries. The secondary goal is to reduce the costs of preventable injuries to the community. Objectives of the Coalition's efforts include:

• Identifying problematic injury sources
• Prioritizing the Coalition's efforts
• Developing and implementing specific injury prevention strategies

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The Safe Jonesboro Coalition was the national pilot of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) implementation of the Safe Communities program. In late 1995, representatives of the Arkansas Highway Safety Office, NHTSA's Region VI Office and the Greater Dallas (Texas) Injury Prevention Center met with local community leaders to form a coalition of government, business, civic leadership, law enforcement and health professionals. The Coalition exemplifies the ideals of the Safe Communities program through strong use of volunteersthe program employs only one paid staff member, but is served by over 40 volunteers.

The Coalition was systematic in their approach to the problem of injuries in the community. In 1995, the Coalition examined and analyzed local injury data to determine frequency of cause, so that program priorities could be set. An implementation strategy was designed to achieve lasting impact on the community. During this planning phase, subcommittees were formed to address specific injury areas such as child passenger safety, burns and scalds, railroad crossing safety, violence in schools, impaired driving, self-sufficiency, and data collection.

During the planning year, the Coalition identified injuries for which prevention activities could be quickly implemented, such as the prevention of burn injuries through promotion of the use of home smoke detectors and the provision of free detectors to anyone unable to afford one. In addition, violence prevention classes were held for more than 200 non- chronic, domestic offenders.

On examination of injury data, the Coalition discovered that motor vehicle-related incidents were the leading cause of injuries in Jonesboro, and the single largest drain on local treatment and rehabilitation resources. To address this problem, the Coalition developed a strategy of injury prevention activities beginning with child passenger safety. The Coalition trained 42 child passenger safety advocates on the proper installation of car seats and established a car seat loaner program. In addition, an educational program was initiated in local schools, reaching 7,800 students with presentations on youth impaired driving, bicycle helmet safety, and railroad crossing safety through the Operation Lifesaver program.