# Presentation: 063670

## Slide 1

**Notes:**
The "Safe Tribal Communities" presentation is designed to serve as an orientation tool for new coalitions and potential coalition members by giving them a basic understanding of the Safe Communities model of injury prevention and control.  Special emphasis is placed on the leading contributor to unintentional injuries & deaths -- traffic crashes.  
It starts out with brief summary of the problem, defines the Safe Tribal Communities model, details a checklist for starting a Tribal coalition, shares examples of successful coalitions, and ends with two slides on the useful information and technical assistance people will find at the Safe Communities Service Center Web site and through the BIA Indian Highway Safety Program.  
Be sure and review the Notes section of this presentation.  It gives you basic guidance and talking points for each of the slides.  Also run the presentation in the Slide Show mode to see the order of points on each slide.  A couple of slides present the information differently than you might expect.
Presenters are encouraged to modify this presentation to fit necessary time constraints, add your own insights, and customize the presentation to reflect the injury problems and concerns of your Tribe or in your community where the talk is being given to make it more relevant to the local audience.

## 150,000 deaths per year

- 2,850,000 hospitalizations
- $325 Billion cost to society
- Our culture accepts traffic deaths and injuries as routine

**Notes:**
There are 150,000 otherwise healthy Americans who die every year from intentional and unintentional injuries.  40,000+ of these fatalities annually are caused by motor vehicle crashes.  In the past, we focused almost all of our attention on deaths.  But deaths are just the tip of iceberg of a larger injury problem.
For every death, there are 19 persons hospitalized from injuries.  And 15 times that number end of in hospital emergency rooms.
All this injury costs society $325 billion a year in the form of medical costs, insurance premiums, lost wages, lost productivity, and other expenses.
What’s really mystifying about this is that most Americans including most Indian people seem to be willing to accept these costs in lives and money as the routine price we must pay to drive.

## 1.  Traffic Related -	43%

**Five Leading Causes of Injury Death**

**1.  Traffic Related -****	****43%**

**2.  Homicide/Suicide -****	****33%****	**

**3.  Poisoning -****	**** 6%****	**

**4.  Drowning -****	**** 6%****	**

**5.  Burns, Falls, Other -****	****12%****	**

**Notes:**
The 5 leading causes of injury death among Native Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control.

## Crashes cost society $150 Billion annually -- OF THAT AMOUNT:

- Crashes cost society $150 Billion annually -- OF THAT AMOUNT:
** **$17 Billion is medical costs
** **$37.5 Billion is employer costs
** **$54.7 Billion is lost productivity

**Notes:**
The cost of motor vehicle crashes alone are a huge economic drain on all of us as consumers, employers, and as taxpayers, costing society $150 Billion annually.

## One murder every    31 minutes

- One murder every    31 minutes
- One violent crime    every 20 seconds
- One crime every 3 seconds

- One fatality every 13 minutes
- One injury every 16 seconds
- One crash every 5 seconds

**Notes:**
One of the biggest public concerns in communities across America is the growing impact of crime.  
But for every murder every 31 minutes, there’s a person who dies in a crash every 13 minutes.
There’s a violent crime every 20 seconds.  Compared to a motor vehicle injury every 16 seconds.
And there’s a crime committed every 3 seconds compared to a crash every 5 seconds.
While we all agree crime is a problem that must be addressed, let’s not overlook the larger problem of crashes.

## Safe Tribal Communities is a process, not a program.

- Safe Tribal Communities is a _process_, not a program.
- Safe Tribal Communities is a coalition centered, data driven injury prevention model.
- Safe Tribal Communities emphasizes motor vehicle crashes as a leading injury prevention issue.

**Notes:**
Safe Tribal Communities is not a program in and of itself.  Rather it is a process or a model for tribes and communities to use to address it’s injury problems.  It’s designed to be flexible to allow communities to focus on their most pressing injury problems and come up with strategies and programs to reduce those problems.

The Safe Tribal Communities model works best when the process is conducted by a broad based tribal or community coalition that looks closely at local injury data to define prevention interventions.

In most tribes, data shows that motor vehicle crashes are a leading injury prevention issue.

## Safe Tribal Communities looks at transportation injuries and their costs.

- Safe Tribal Communities is most successful when the coalition involves new partners in the process.
- Safe Tribal Communities is geographic-based and involves local residents.

**Notes:**
The Safe Tribal Communities approach looks at both reducing the number of injuries, as well as reducing the costs of injuries to the community and its residents. By tracking the money saved when injuries are reduced, coalitions can clearly show health providers, tribal leaders, businesses, and members of the tribe that resources given to injury prevention produce a profitable return on investment to the community.

Coalitions can forge potent alliances with a wide variety of organizations, resulting in increased resources and a growing number of profitable public/private partnerships. 

Safe Tribe Communities can be set up to target a single community, a region or a whole reservation where residents are actively involved in addressing their own local injury problems and in implementing effective programs.

## Injuries are not accidents.

- Injuries are _not_ accidents.
- Injuries are predictable and preventable.
- Local people are in the best position to solve local problems.
- Every tribe has effective groups working to prevent injuries.

**Notes:**
For over a century, we disguised the way we thought of traffic crashes and the resulting injuries by labeling them as mere accidents.   By doing so, we preserved the myth that crashes simply happen.  It couldn’t be helped.  No one’s to blame.  They’re an inevitable part of life.  But crashes and injuries are not accidents.
Most medical conditions are predictable and can either be prevented or controlled.  And so can motor vehicle injuries.
The best approach is to enable and empower local people to solve their own local injury problems.
Forming a Safe Communities coalition gets agencies and organizations already concerned about injuries working in closer collaboration and brings new partners in to help.

## Form a core coalition

- Create a tribal profile
- Examine local injury data
- Prioritize injury problems using data
- Organize coalition with subcommittees
- Identify/implement prevention  			strategies
- Measure impact and cost benefit

**Notes:**
In the next few minutes, we’re going to take a closer look at the list of things our tribe needs to do to get started:
Forming a core coalition or working group to get the ball rolling;
Creating a tribal profile to better understand who’s living and working and being injured and dying in our community;
Examining and analyzing local injury data;
Prioritizing injury problems using our data;
Organizing a larger tribal coalition with working subcommittees;
Identifying prevention strategies and implementing effective programs;
And measuring the impact and cost benefit of our programs.

## Identify and recruit stakeholders

- Find host or lead organization
- Appoint Safe Tribal Communities Coordinator
- Enlist keepers of the data
- Recruit injury data expert
- Identify meeting times & places

**Notes:**
First, it’s necessary to identify those individuals and organizations already working in the community or having a vested interest in preventing injuries.
Next, one of these organizations needs to step forward and take the lead or host the Safe Tribal Communities initiative.
Early on, an individual needs to be designated to coordinate your efforts. This can be a full-time paid position or it can be someone the lead organization allows to work part-time or it might be a volunteer.
Then, you need to find out who in your tribe keeps the injury data and enlist their cooperation and assistance.
Finally, try to recruit someone who can help you and your coalition to analyze the data.

## Demographics (age, ethnic background, gender)

- Tribal Members/Tribal Leaders Input
- Roadway user data
- Environmental data

**Notes:**
It’s important to know your tribe’s unique identity in order to assess risk factors, prioritize mechanisms of injury, appropriately target interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of your efforts.
First, gather general demographics including information about population breakdowns, cultural features, household income, major businesses and other important factors.  Sources include the tribal government, census data, occupantional licensing, etc.
Next, take a look at your tribe’s roadway users and their behaviors.  Things like leading causes of death by age/gender, leading causes of injuries by age/gender,costs of injuries by cause, risk factors in injury (like seat belt use and impaired driving), etc.
Also examine environmental factors such as high crash locations, time of day, day of week, etc.
Most important, conduct informal focus groups with tribal leaders, business people, and tribal members to learn what’s on their minds regarding injury prevention.

## Emergency department

- Indian Health Service clinics
- Hospital discharge
- Emergency run report
- Police crash reports

**Notes:**
There are many accessible sources of injury data in every tribe.  Here’s the first places you need to work with to learn more about who, when, where, why and how injuries are occurring in your area of concern.

## Significant contributor to fatal and nonfatal injuries

- Significant contributor to health care costs
- Disproportionately affects specific population groups
- Major concern of tribal members

**Notes:**
When you have enough data to examine your tribe’s injury profile, then you can begin to prioritize your local injury problems.  Some factors you will want to analyze are:
1.  What the significant contributors are in fatal and nonfatal injuries.
2.  What the significant contributors are to health care costs.
3.  What injuries might be disproportionately affecting certain population groups.
4.  What injury problems are of most concern to the members of your tribe.

## Health Officials

- Police

- Businesses

- Tribal Leaders

- Tribal Members

- Educators

- EMS/Fire
- and many others

**Notes:**
There are many groups and organizations with a vested interest in injury prevention in your tribe.  Here’s a getting started list of potential coalition members.

## Enforcement strategies

- Enact laws or policies
- Education/awareness strategies
- Engineering and technology improvements
- Evaluating results

**Notes:**
There are 5 E’s in implementing prevention interventions.

## Alcohol impaired driving

- Red light running
- Non seat belt use
- Pedestrian collisions
- Non or misuse of child car seats
- Speeding or aggressive driving
- Inexperienced drivers

**Notes:**
Examples of Traffic Safety issues that data may show are high injury prevention priorities.

## Number of injuries

- Hospital costs
- Emergency room visits
- Behavioral change
- Local policies or ordinances
- Tribal attitudes
- Tribal and outside resources

**Notes:**
If possible, get advice and assistance from professional evaluators before you implement interventions.  With or without a pro, there are several readily available “yard sticks” you can use to measure the effectiveness of your interventions.

<go thru list>

When you do a good job of evaluating or measuring your results, not only will your coalition know what works and what doesn’t work, but your evaluation results are also an effective tool for selling the program to the tribe and getting additional resources to continue and enhance your work.

## “Selling a safe communities concept was easy because of our extended family philosophy. 

*“**Selling a safe communities concept was easy because of our extended family philosophy. *
*As native people, *_*we*_* *_*all*_* *_*look*_* *_*out*_* *_*for*_* *_*each*_* *_*other*_*, whether related by blood or not.*
*When someone is killed or injured, we all mourn.”*
**Alta Bruce****Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa**

**Notes:**
A testimonial for Safe Tribal Communities from Alta Bruce who started a coalition in North Dakota.

## The Pine Ridge SD Safe Tribal Community with the support of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Dept of Public Safety’s Lakota Highway Patrol is effectively combining awareness campaigns with active enforcement of DWI and occupant protection laws.  From 1998 to 1999, the number of drunk drivers decreased by 26% and seat belt and car seat use increased 10 percentage points.

**The Pine Ridge SD Safe Tribal Community with the support of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Dept of Public Safety’s Lakota Highway Patrol is effectively combining awareness campaigns with active enforcement of DWI and occupant protection laws.  From 1998 to 1999, the number of drunk drivers decreased by 26% and seat belt and car seat use increased 10 percentage points.**

**Notes:**
Safe Tribal Communities success story

## In a two year period, the Wyandotte (OK) Safe Tribal Communities coalition helped raise seat belt use from 54% to 72%, well above the statewide average for rural communities.

**In a two year period, the Wyandotte (OK) Safe Tribal Communities coalition helped raise seat belt use from 54% to 72%, well above the statewide average for rural communities.**
**Today, there are over 25 Safe Tribal Communities coalitions addressing Native American injury prevention nationwide.**

**Notes:**
Another Safe Tribal Communities success story and the growing number of coalitions nationwide.

## Customer

**Customer**
**Service Center**

**Safe Communities**
**Newsstand**

**Safe Communities**
**Town Square**

**Best Practics**
**Showcase**

**Product**
**Shop**

**Partnership**
**Emporium**

**Notes:**
There’s plenty of technical assistance on the Web to help communities in their injury prevention efforts.  Your best starting point is the USDOT’s Safe Communities Service Center. Here’s what you’ll find:
CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER:  An overview of the Safe Communities approach
SAFE COMMUNITIES NEWSSTAND:  News briefs from local coalitions nationwide, as well as national and USDOT news and special features on injury prevention
TOWN SQUARE:  Includes a directory to coalitions across the country and a Virtually Library of links to useful safety and prevention documents on the Internet
BEST PRACTICES SHOWCASE:  Success stories of programs conducted by other communities
PRODUCT SHOP:  Helpful materials you can download and on-line ordering of free traffic safety materials
PARTNERSHIP EMPORIUM:  Hundreds of links to traffic safety and injury prevention Web sites worldwide

## http://www.doi.gov/bia/highway_safety/index.htm

**Bureau of Indian Affairs**
**Highway Safety Program**
**505 Marquette, N.W., Suite 1405**
**Albuquerque NM  87102**
**505/248-5053**

**http://www.doi.gov/bia/highway_safety/index.htm**

**Notes:**
The BIA Indian Highway Safety Program is ready to assist you in any way they can to help you reduce traffic related injuries.  They can provide technical assistance, materials and in some instances grants to implement interventions identified by your coalition.  Contact them for further details.

## Slide 23

## NOTE to PRESENTERS  -- PLEASE DO NOT SHOW THIS SLIDE

**The "Safe Tribal Communities" presentation is designed to serve as an orientation tool for new coalitions and potential coalition members by giving them a basic understanding of the Safe Communities model of injury prevention and control.  Special emphasis is placed on the leading contributor to unintentional injuries and deaths -- motor vehicle crashes.  **
**It starts out with brief summary of the problem, defines the Safe Tribal Communities model, details a checklist for starting a Tribal coalition, shares examples of successful coalitions, and ends with two slides on the useful information and technical assistance people will find at the Safe Communities Service Center Web site and through the BIA Indian Highway Safety Program.  **
**Be sure and review the Notes section of this presentation.  It gives you basic guidance and talking points for each of the slides.  Also run the presentation in the Slide Show mode to see the order of points on each slide.  A couple of slides present the information differently than you might expect.**
**Presenters are encouraged to modify this presentation to fit necessary time constraints, add your own insights, and customize the presentation to reflect the injury problems and concerns of your Tribe or in your community where the talk is being given to make it more relevant to the local audience.**
**If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs Highway Safety Program.**