November 18, 2023 Injury Prevention Day
Trauma Services Programs
Chandler Regional Trauma Injury Prevention and Outreach
Chandler Regional Medical Center is an American College of Surgeons (ACS) Verified Level 1 Trauma Center. Community Educators from the Trauma Services team work within the East Valley to provide injury prevention and health education.
Programs:
- Stop the Bleed
- Trauma Survivors Network
- Elderly Fall Prevention
- Matter of Balance
- SAIL (Staying Active and Independent for Life)
- Walk With a Doc
- Teen Driving Safety
- D4: Dignity Doesn’t Drive Distracted
- Battle of the Belt program
Stop the Bleed
Dignity Health’s Stop The Bleed training program is a nationally recognized program that launched in 2015 with the goal of teaching the public how to stop life threatening bleeding after a serious injury. This community education class is fully philanthropically funded and is taught throughout the community in places such as schools, churches, community groups and more.
Funding from generous donors has allowed the educators to deliver Stop the Bleed trainings and train and certify over 3,000 people. We’re happy to share that Stop the Bleed kits exist in all middle schools and high schools within Chandler, Gilbert and Tempe, various public and private businesses to ensure the safety of our community.
If interested in receiving training please reach out to Trauma Services at 480-728-3313.
Trauma Survivors Network
Following a traumatic injury, patients and their families can participate in the Trauma Survivors Network support group. This program provides families impacted by traumas the opportunity to connect with other trauma survivors and begin rebuilding their lives together. The support group provides participants with information and education about specific injuries. Some examples include the Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ), Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association (AZSPINAL) and the Amputee Coalition. At this time all peer support groups are being held virtually with the goal of expanding to in person support groups in 2025.
Elderly Fall Prevention
Falls amongst the elderly account for over half of the injured patients who come to Chandler Regional Medical Center. 1 in 4 Arizonans over the age of 65 will fall this year. Of those, 1 in 3 will require emergency response and hospitalization.
Matter of Balance Class – Preventing falls in the East Valley
A Matter of Balance is an award winning program designed to manage falls and increase activity levels. It addresses Chandler Regional Medical Center’s top mechanism of injury, ground level falls. It is evidence based and has shown to decrease number of falls and fear of falling in older adults.
SAIL (Staying Active and Independent for Life)
The SAIL program focuses on balance and healthy aging through strength and aerobic exercise. The class is held twice weekly for an hour at a time and concludes with a brief education piece on fall prevention. Participants benefit from the exercise, and socializing to upbeat music. Each session of classes will run in 6 week increments.
Walk With a Doc
Chandler Regional Trauma Services coordinates the Sun Lakes Chapter of Walk With a Doc. This program brings the community together with medical professionals to discuss various health topics. A brief health education discussion is presented by an East Valley advanced practice medical professional. Then the group goes for a ~2 mile walk throughout the Cottonwood Country Club community to encourage activity as a means of fall prevention. This event is held monthly from October to April. Please contact Trauma Services for more information, 480-728-3313.
Teen Driving Safety
Moving vehicle collisions remain one of the leading causes of mortality for young adults aged 16-25. While safety technology in modern cars has improved with the airbags, seatbelts, crumple points and lane assist, distraction and incidence of intoxicated driving has also increased. Teaching teens safe driving habits as well as educating about the risks and repercussions of distracted and intoxicated driving is imperative.
D4: Dignity Doesn’t Drive Distracted
One of the most common injuries seen at Chandler Regional Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center are those resulting from motor vehicle accidents. The majority of these accidents involve distracted or impaired drivers.
As part of the Trauma Center’s community outreach, the Dignity Doesn’t Drive Distracted Program (D4) was created. This program was developed with the intent of reducing and preventing motor vehicle crashes by raising awareness and educating the community on the dangers of distracted and impaired driving. More specifically, D4 utilizes up-to-date trauma registry data, technology such as impaired and distracted driving goggles, an electric go-kart and real-world scenarios to change driving behaviors in people of all ages.
The goal of D4 is to see a marked decrease in the incidence of motor vehicle collisions resulting from distracted or impaired driving. The curriculum is focused on high school students but is also be available to other age groups in the community.
Through funding from generous donors, Chandler Regional’s Trauma team was able to purchase an electric go kart, SIDNE (Simulated Intoxicated Driving Experience). The kart is used to educate on the dangers of distracted and impaired driving.
Battle of the Belt program
Battle of the Belt is a seatbelt safety program tailored to high school students that spans the school year and involves observational surveys of seatbelt usage, education, and peer coaching. The surveys are collected quarterly to monitor the effectiveness of outreach by the students with the support of Chandler Regional Medical Center's Trauma Services.
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