Hospitals in Action >> Case Examples

LEGACY HEALTH SYSTEMS, Portland, OR
Trauma Nurses Talk Tough

What is it? 
Trauma nurses who witness injuries and heartache firsthand now counsel young people about the consequences of reckless driving and other unsafe behaviors. The program started modestly with an in-service session for local school nurses. Today it includes age-appropriate slide and lecture presentations that depict true stories of people injured as a result of unsafe behaviors and the attendant consequences. The series is presented to about 35,000 elementary, middle and high school students each year. TNTT extended its courses to families because they realized that kids might have parents that don't understand the impact of unsafe behaviors and might be setting poor examples in terms of seat-belt use and driving habits.

Court-ordered classes began after TNTT was approached by probation officers and juvenile and traffic court systems that suggested that offenders might be more likely to change their behavior by learning more about the long-term consequence of their actions rather than by paying fines or serving time.  Five programs aimed at different audiences have been developed. In lieu of fines, attendees pay fees for the courses, which help underwrite other TNTT initiatives, such as selling more than 9,000 safety helmets annually at below-cost.

Who is it for?  
Some 56,000 people annually participate in school-based presentations, court-ordered classes, safety fairs and community clinics throughout the Portland area. TNTT is spreading its mission; it has developed extensive training materials, available at a modes cost. Twenty hospitals in 12 states use TNTT resources.

Why do they do it? 
To help individuals especially young people make better decisions about their safety behavior. More than half of the attendees report having improved safety behaviors following participation in TNTT programs. TNTT has also been instrumental in changing public policies that promote safety, such as helmet laws for all riders and passengers (up to age 16) of bicycles, skateboard, scooters and rollerblades.  

Contact:  Joanne Fairchild, R.N.
Trauma Nurse Coordinator/Injury Prevention
Telephone:  503-413-4239
Email:  JMFairch@LHS.org