Magic Valley SAFE KIDS Coalition |
IDAHO |
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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:
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 Coalitionthe foundation for implementing a number of programs and activities. The key programs established by the Coalition as conduits for all activities included:
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.
RESULTS
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Winter 1998 |