Department of Public Health Sciences
Division of Social Medicine

Safe Community Monthly News
Issue 21

April 2009
In this issue

Dear Colleagues,

Mount Isa, Australia –SCMN 151

1

Al Ain, UAE

2

Gardemoen Conference, Norway

2

Announcement: Child Safety2

Report: Lan‐Yang Safe Community

3

Courses3Forthcoming conferences

4

New Journal

4

Books and websites of interest

4News and reports of this issue are appended below. Same issue is also avail‐able at our WHO Collaborating Centre on Community Safety Promotion
website: http://www.phs.ki.se/csp/who_newsletters_en.htm
Please register and submit your abstract in Cali & Serbia conferences (details
in page ).
With warm regards
Leif Svanström, Responsible Editor
Koustuv Dalal, Editor

Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia –International Safe Communities Designation #151
On the 21st February, 2009 Mount Isa became the third city in Queensland Australia to be accredited as an International Safe
Community, the 151st Safe Community in the world and the 15th in Australia. This was an extremely important day for
Mount Isa as the Mayor of Mount Isa Cr John Molony stated “we have worked
to reach this point for more than six years and although this is only the start of muchwork ahead, significant progress has been made as result of the excellent collaboration thathas occurred”.
Mount Isa has focused on issues such as road safety, family violence, sub‐stance misuse, senior safety and child injury prevention. As Lynette Drew,
the Mount Isa spokesperson stated “Over the past six years, groups in these areas
have demonstrated a dedication to evidence‐based practice, and the development ofsustainable programmes to promote safety in response to the needs of the local com‐munity”.
The Mount Isa Safe Community Family Fun Day and Designation Ceremony was held at the Mount Isa Civic Centre and in‐cluded interactive and static displays, information booths, music and family fun for all ages. The designation ceremony beganwith a Welcome to Country speech by Karen West on behalf of the indigenous (Aboriginal) people of Australia. The Mayor
then welcomed all and read out a letter from Professor Leif Svanström which, among other things, reminded representatives
from Mount Isa that their on‐going involvement in International Safe Community networks was expected. Next, Member ofParliament for Mount Isa and Chair of the Living with Lead Alliance, Berry Kiernan, spoke about the effective partnerships
and sustainable programmes which had been established to make Mount Isa a safer place to
live, work and play.
The designation ceremony, was led by Dr Carolyn Coggan in her capacity as Director of Safe
Communities Foundation, a Certifying Centre of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Community
Safety Promotion. Dr Coggan commented at the designation ceremony that “it was wonderful tosee community members of all ages and socio‐cultural backgrounds sharing and having fun with key
stakeholders while obtaining safety information”. She also stated that “having 16 signatories to theagreement demonstrated the support from a wide range of agencies that were committed to making Mount
Isa a safer place for all”. Further information can be found by visiting the Safe Communities
Foundation NZ web site http://www.safecommunities.org.nz/sc/mtisa.

Reporter: Tania Peters, SCFNZ, New ZealandAl Ain in United Arab Emirate the first Safe Community in the Arab World?
During a conference on emergency medicine prevention and Safe Communities,
February 17‐19, 2009, Professor Leif Svanstrom has introduced the Safe
Communities concept to the members and stakeholders. Dr. Michal Grivna, Al
Ain University, UAE has also organized the contact with a community in Al
Ain with a separate Safe Comm Seminar. The interest in Al Ain is substantial
and we are optimistic about another Safe Community designation in near
future.

Reporter: Leif Svanström, Sweden.

Voluntary organizations in development of Safe Communities in NorwayReporting from a Conference in Gardemoen March 11-12, 2009
Erik Brekke from the Insurance Company Vesta is a well‐known supporter of theInternational Safe Community Movement. He was the most active sponsor of ourInternational Conference in Bergen some years ago. He has been involved indevelopments of Night Raven organization in Norway and all over the world‐ he isalso most active in the volunteer organization PKF gathering volunteers as well as
police and others involved in preventing injuries due to violence. In a conference at
Gardemoen more than 300 people from all over the country gathered and the Safe
Community worldwide was presented by Leif Svanström. More communities will be
involved from Norway in the future was the promise from Eva Vaagland‐ newly
employed coordinator at “Skadeforebyggende Forum”.
At this moment we also salute Erik Brekke for his enthusiasm for Safe Communities
at the moment of his retirement

Announcement: 2009 Child Safety Report Cards to be launched
On May 6, 2009 the European Child Safety Alliance of EuroSafe will launch Child Safety Report Cards for more than 20
European countries at the European Parliament in Strasbourg with the support of MEP Arlene McCarthy Chair of the Inter‐
nal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, European Commissioner for Consumers Meglena Kuneva and European
Commissioner for Health Androulla Vassiliou.
Simultaneous launches are being prepared in participating countries. National Child Safety Report Cards and Country Pro‐
files will be available for Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden andWales.
The 2009 Report Cards and Profiles describe: 1) how well a country is doing to make it safe for children, 2) what priority
issues need to be addressed, and 3) which good practices should be adopted to prevent accidental injuries and to save morechildren’s lives.
The Report Cards assess the extent of safety measures provided to children and adolescents by examining and grading the
adoption, implementation and enforcement of national level evidence‐based policies. A 24‐country summary report card
provides a multi‐country overview to facilitate European‐level planning to support national level efforts.
The 12 policy topics within the report cards comprise nine areas of safety relevant to children and adolescents: Passenger
safety, Motor scooter and moped safety, Pedestrian safety and Cycling safety, Water safety/drowning prevention, Fall pre‐vention, Burn prevention, Poisoning prevention, Choking/strangulation prevention.
Plus three areas of strategy to support child safety efforts: Leadership, Infrastructure and Capacity. The launch of the 2009
report card results on May 6 will communicate the country performance grades, evidenced safety measures in place, goodpractice gaps to be explored for improvement, and progress made by the 14 countries where the 2009 report card is theirsecond report card (their first being released in November 2007). Participating countries are using their report card assess‐ments as part of developing and/or implementing child safety action plans within the Child Safety Action Plan (CSAP) ini‐
tiative of the European Child Safety Alliance. CSAP is being conducted through funding and partnership with the Euro‐pean Commission, Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL), UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and the national
partner organisations. For more information and results on May 6, 2009 go to: www.childsafetyeurope.org

Report: Lan-Yang Safe Community Promotion Program
According to the statistic data provided by Department of Health, the standardized mortality rate per 100,000 population in
Yilan County was 52.72 higher than 37.33 the standardized mortality rate in average in Taiwan in 2004. For promoting the
Public Health Development and decreasing the mortality rate, the Yilan County government has taken Lan‐Yang Safe
Community Promotion Program as one of crucial administrative key tasks. The program is lead by Public Health Bureau
Yilan County since 2004 and it aims at integrating resources from 12 townshippublic health centers in Yilan County to develop a County‐level Safe Community
Program adhered to the Safe Community model.
Yilan County is located at the northeast corner of Taiwan, surrounded on 3 sides bylofty mountains. The County is one of 25 Counties in Taiwan and consists of 12
townships which include two aboriginal townships. The total area is 2,143 square
kilometres with a total population of approximately 460,000 in 2007. 17.38% are in 0‐
14 year old age group, while 12.61% are senior aged 65 and over, a proportion that isincreasing year by year.
Along with the main theme, “Health Safety”, Yilan County government is alsoplanned to build a healthier and safer Lan‐Yang plain and a big LOHAS community
for everyone.
Two pilot programs started in 2004. Dongshan Township and Toucheng Township were selected as the two demonstration
communities to implement Safe Community program and promote safety programs for Children, Elderly, Traffic andDrowning. Dongshan Safe Community is about to applying for designation as an International Safe Community in 2009 and
it is also an important indicator for Yilan County to foster a County‐level Safe Community Program.
In 2006, Yilan County has taken Lan‐Yang Community Safety Promotion Program as one of mid‐long administrativeplans. First of all, 12 township health centers are responsible for establishing and leading Safe Community Promotion
Committee in their township and integrate local resources from township office, Farmers’ bank, Police Office, civil groups,
medical institutes. Each Safe Community program is based on the International Six Indicators to promote various injury
prevention and safety promotion programs in order to raise the safety awareness of people in Yilan County. Secondly, thePublic Health Bureau of Yilan County plays a coordinator’s role to integrate Police Department, Agricultural Bureau, Social
Affairs Bureau, Education Bureau, Fire Department, Bureau of Environmental Protection of Yilan County to be the join
forces for all the townships.
In 2009, a 1055 plan has started to implement. The 1055 n aims at 5% reduction
in mortality rate and develops 5 International Safe Communities from 2009 to 2018.
This year, six townships have established a cross‐sectional Safe Community
Promotion Committee and aim at carrying out following goals: Yilan County (alsocalled Lan‐Yang Safe Community) becomes the Benchmark County for other 24
Counties/Cities in Taiwan to Emulate.
Successfully reducing the injury and the mortality rate effectively in Yilan County.
Taking Safety as the core value to integrate resources and build up safer hardware for
Yilan citizens. Taking “Lan‐Yang Safe Community Networking” as a learningorganization strategy to develop operation talents and shape up a Safety Culture to sustain the Safe Community Program in
Yilan.

Reporter: Liu, Yi‐Lian, Yilan County, Taiwan.

CourseRESEARCH EDUCATION Course 2009
6th International Course - A Ph.D. Course: Research in Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion: Designs,
Methods & Analysis, October - November 2009 (5 weeks)
Stockholm, Sweden, 7.5 Credits
Application deadline: 1 May 2009
Course Organizer: Reza Mohammadi, MD, MPH, PhD
Email: Reza.Mohammadi@ki.se, Phone: +46 8 524 80142, Fax: +46 8 30 73 51
Courses 2009/ 2010
4th International Ph.D. Course on Internet
INJURY SURVEILLANCE AND CODING
1 October 2009 - 31 March 2010 (25% rate)
7,5 Credits
Course Organizer: Professor Lars-Gunnar Hörte , lars-gunnar.horte@ki.seForthcoming Safety and Injury Conferences
2009
1st Regional Southeastern Europe Conference on Safe Community ʺSafe Children in Safe Communitiesʺ 22‐25 June 2009Novi Sad, Serbia
Before March 31, 2009 Submit an registration form
Before April 15, 2009 Submit an abstract
Before May 15, 2009 Submit the full paper
For more information www.bezbedna.zajednica.org, Contact: Miroslav Bakich bezbedna.zajednica@gmail.com
The 14th International Conference on Circumpolar Health, July 11‐16, 2009 Yellowknife, Canada
Abstract deadline: 20 February
Injury Prevention has always been a concern for the IUCH (International Union for Circumpolar Health) and injuries area very heavy burden on the health of indigenous people living in the circumpolar regions.
Contact Jody Butler Walker butlerwalker@gmail.com , www.icch2009.com
9th National Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 26‐28 July, 2009 Melbourne, Australia
www.injuryprevention2009.com
Abstract submission closes on 10 November 2008.
18th International Conference on Safe Communities Safe Policies as an axis for development
August 13 – 15, 2009 Cali, Colombia
Date for Abstract submission deadline: New date 30 April!
http://www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/Conferences/cali10april.bmp
Call for abstract. http://safecom2009.univalle.edu.co/, www.cisalva.univalle.edu.co
For information: Martha Lucia Castañeda, maluca68@gmail.com. Julian Santaella, julian_santaella@hotmail.com
5th Asian Regional Conference on Safe Communities (ARCSC) Safety, Health, Harmony
18‐20 October 2009 Beijing, China
China Occupational Safety & Health Association (COSHA), http://www.cosha.org.cn
First Announcement: http://www.cosha.org.cn//upload/1224465633423324.pdf
Abstract deadline: 30 March 2009, http://www.cosha.org.cn//upload/1235111029165436.doc
Before June 30, 2009 Submit the full paper
Before June 30, 2009 Early bird registration
After June 30, 2009 Full registration
Contact persons: Ms Wu Yanhua and Mr Liu Yan, E‐mail: 2009ascc@cosha.org.cn
21, Hepingli Beijie, Dongcheng District, Beijing , China 100713 , Tel: +86‐10‐64463609/64463339, Fax: +86‐10‐64463609
Senior Safety‐ future challenges Nordic Conference, 21 ‐22 October 2009 Karlstad, SwedenFirst Announcement and Call for Abstracts
www.phs.ki.se/csp/pdf/Conferences/2009_senior_safety_call_for_abstract.pdf
Abstract deadline: 15 May 2009 , For information: Dr Tommy Rosenberg, Head of Knowledge Centre for Senior Safety,
Karlstad, Sweden Tommy.Rosenberg@Karlstad.se
2010
19th International Safe Communities Conference Sustainability of Safe Community Programs23‐ 26 March, 2010 Suwon, Korea
For information: jpcho@ajou.ac.kr
The Second European Regional Safe Community Conference Incorporating the 7th Nordic Conference on Safe
Communities 19‐20 May, 2010 Reykjavik, Iceland
How to develop Safe Communities in Europe using the Nordic experiences.
‐ Re‐establishing a European Network of Safe Communities.
www.publichealth.is/SC‐Iceland2010/
Contact: Rósa Thorsteinsdóttir, rosa@publichealth.is, Tel: +354 5800900 / +354 8400906 , Fax: +354 5800901´
Public Health Institute of Iceland, Laugavegur 116, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
10th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 21‐24 September, 2010 London, UK
The first formal announcement for Safety 2010 will be issued in January 2009
Call for abstracts will open in April 2009. http://www.safety2010.org.uk
Early bird rate before 30 April 2009 £450.00
Contact: Karen Hughes, Email: k.e.hughes@ljmu.ac.uk , Tel: +44 (0) 151 231 8723
Centre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Kingsway House, 5th Floor, Hatton Garden, Liverpool L3 2AJ,
UK , Tel: +44 (0) 151 231 4510 | Fax: +44 (0) 151 231 4515

New Journal:
Journal of Injury and Violence Research, http://jivresearch.org/

Books and websites of interest•••‘The Way Forward’ Transportation Planning and Road Safety. Authors: Geetam Tiwari, Dinesh Mohan and Nicol Muhlrad.
ISBN 1403 92502 X, Macmillan India Ltd. New Delhi.
Abuse of Elderly in Europe. http://www.abuel.org/“Violence, Dangerousnes in the day by day living ʺ. Edited by Rosgal. Montevideo. 2002. Free version at SitioMedico: http://
www.sitiomedico.com.uy/artnac/maltzman.pdf and in Amadeo Guestbook, The Medical Literature Guide ( Code 1234 ?
2/20/02). New 2005‐2006 Edition.

WHO Collaborating Centre for Community Safety Promotion
Karolinska Institutet
Department of Public Health Sciences
Division of Social Medicine
Norrbacka 2nd Floor, SE‐171 76, Stockholm, Sweden.
Communication: Koustuv Dalal (Email: koustuv.dalal@ki.se )