# Presentation: 061405

## Brain Injury Prevention Project, Fond du Lac Reservation

- Holly Kostrzewski
- Injury Prevention Coordinator
- hollykostrzewski@fdlrez.com

## Fond du Lac Reservation

**Northeastern MN 20 miles west of Duluth, MN. **
**One of six Reservations inhabited by members of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. **
**1,800 tribal members within reservation boundaries **
** ****2,100 tribal members living in Duluth**** **

## Background

- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a major cause of disability among Native Americans.
- The leading causes of hospitalizations for TBI are motor vehicle crashes (24%), assaults (17%), and falls (16%).
- Rates of TBI among males are 2.5 times greater than females.

**Notes:**
CDC statistics

## Goal

- Produce a brain injury prevention educational campaign for the          Fond du Lac Community based on input from health care providers and community residents.

## Methods

- 13 key informant interviews
- 5 focus groups
- Collaborations

**Notes:**
preferred avenues and content of educational outreach, appropriateness of written materials

OJS school (shape of turtle  - turtle clan) Tribal Center

## What is a Brain Injury? 

**Notes:**
Trauma and Injury words most used – went back to those words when working on my brochures and 2 powerpoints

## Perception of Community Prevalence

**Notes:**
This was interesting b/c I only asked “Are there people with BI at FDL? But people gave me reasons why they had brain injuries.....substance abuse and MVC.

## Perception of Community Prevalence

**Notes:**
This is also where people brought up FAS – there are a lot of students w/ FAS at OJS.

## Perception of Causes

**Notes:**
This is the list I used when deciding which brochure topics to pick.

## Perception of Causes

**Notes:**
This let me decide that I needed to focus on the accidents, and MVC most – but also people gave me reasons (no seatbelt, no helmet, DV, once again FAS was included)

## Preference in Obtaining Information

**Notes:**
Almost 1⁄2 don’t like to read but like to read magazines and FDL newspaper

## Preference in Obtaining Information

**Notes:**
Even though 1⁄2 don’t like to read – they prefer presentations and in-services also direct mail, magazine, newspaper

## Perception of Risk

**Notes:**
EVERYONE!!! Correct!

Here is the start of unborn popping up – FAS 

## Results

- 8 individual brochures
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: reoccurring subject for community (misconception)
- Lack of interest in reading
- 2 PowerPoint presentations
- Community
- Professional
- Pilot test - changes made

**Notes:**
The fellowship project has allowed me to become a change agent for the Injury Prevention Program. In the past the communities’ perception of the program was to focus on car safety seat and seatbelt usage rate as well as the lack of helmet use. 

8 brochures:
Not big readers
Only interested in certain subjects

Powerpoint:
First 1 presentation

Pilot test:
Learned presentation way above participants
Not interested in all subjects

## Recommendations

- Enhance Injury Prevention Program
- Individual Presentations on 8 topics
- Data collection on brain injuries
- Min No Aya Win Magazine
- THINK FIRST chapter

**Notes:**
In the distant future I see declining rates of motor vehicle crash, shaken baby, elder falls, domestic violence, and increasing rates of helmets, seatbelts, and carseats.  

2. This project is not perfect in the Three E’s of Epidemiology I only conquered the one. In fact I took on the one that everyone said will fail because education alone does fail.  But I believe that with this educational program as an additional component of the Injury Prevention Program it will help us successfully complete our goals. Our goal is to reduce injury related death and disability for the Fond du Lac Reservation.  To enhance this I am developing an Injury Prevention Coalition consisting of members from Social Services, Law Enforcement, Head Start, Ojibwe School, Public Health Nursing, and Medical. We will develop new materials for the existing topics and work to achieve better enforcement and environmental modifications to have a comprehensive injury prevention program. 

3. In July 2006, I will begin developing individual presentations for the eight brochures. 

4. For the future I recommend collecting data on brain injuries on the Fond du Lac Reservation.  Since the data showed that our clients like read magazine I brought the idea to my supervisor a Fond du Lac Reservation Mi-No-A-Wyn magazine should be made on a quarterly basis.

5. Next year, we hope to start our own Fond du Lac Reservation THINK FIRST chapter a national Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Program which will collaborate with brain and spinal cord injured Fond du Lac Reservation band members as well as a health care professional to remind students and the community to THINK FIRST before engaging in the risky activities as outlined in the brochures.