How Safe Communities Can Help

Hospitals Reduce The Motor 

Vehicle 

Injury Burden 

Preventable injuries pose a large health threat to America’s communities. Given 

their expertise and community standing, hospitals are uniquely positioned to 

meet the prevention challenge. The Safe Communities model offers a proven 

success strategy for hospitals willing to lead in reducing injuries. The approach 

and how hospitals can form coalitions in their own communities are described 

here. 

 

What is Safe Communities? 

The Safe Communities concept in the United States began in 1996 with just a 

handful of sites. About the same time, the World Health Organization began 

promoting the approach, spurring international development of Safe 

Communities. By late 2002, more than 1,000 Safe Communities sites were in 

existence across the United States. 

The Safe Communities concept requires: 

Analysis of multiple data sources. 

Extended partnerships with professionals outside the traditional traffic 

safety community. 

Citizen involvement and input. 

Integrated, comprehensive injury control that combines prevention, acute 

care, and rehabilitation. 

Basically, local stakeholders use an integrated system to address all injuries in 

their community by linking efforts in prevention, acute care, and rehabilitation 

efforts. Typically, an interdisciplinary citizens coalition first documents the 

frequency and causes of injuries common in that community. The data enables 

the coalition to design and execute measures specially targeted to reduce 

injuries of that type. 

The model has succeeded in reducing injuries in communities, despite their size, 

wealth, geographic location, or demographic mix. Safe Communities also 
complements other efforts, as Healthy Communities, in which many hospitals are 

involved. 

Rationale for Involvement 

Hospitals have a stake in injury prevention and control in their communities: 

Community health is part of the hospital’s mission. Nationally, injuries 

amount to 10 percent of all physician visits and 38 percent of emergency 

room visits. 

The high cost of treating injuries can negatively affect the hospital’s 

finances. 

As large employers, injuries affect productivity and personnel costs. 

Many large hospitals have trauma centers, which may be required to 

engage in injury prevention to keep their designation from the American 

College of Surgeons. 

Some States mandate hospitals to perform such community-benefit 

activities as injury prevention. 

Lower Costs 

Hospitals can curb their own costs by working with Safe Communities coalitions. 

Traffic injuries are costly to treat because often they require high-priced 

equipment, specially trained personnel, and extended rehabilitation. In 2000, 

hospitals, other health providers, and charities absorbed $33 billion of unpaid 

charges from the total economic cost of car crashes. Coalitions can spread the 

burden and cost of injury prevention activities and they also can reduce the 

hospitals’ costs to treat crash victims. Harlem Hospital Center’s Injury Free 

Coalition For Kids Program in New York used the Safe Communities approach 

and halved its pediatric injury rate over 10 years. 

Other Benefits 

Hospitals receive added benefits by participating in Safe Communities coalitions: 

Marketing 

New ways to extend their reach. 

Positive publicity to drive hospital selection decisions and add 

new income. 

Good corporate citizenship. 
Personnel. 

Lower community injury rates, with fewer injuries among 

hospital employees and their families, increased productivity, 

and lower insurance costs. 

A positive outlet for hospital employees frustrated at treating 

endless preventable injuries. 

Research and evaluation opportunities for residents, 

students, and instructors. 

Administrative

Ability to lobby for injury prevention without violating the 

hospital’s nonprofit rules. 

Programs

Greater community acceptance for injury 

prevention. 

Pooled resources that enable more to be accomplished. 

Hospitals’ Role in Safe Communities 

Coalitions 

Hospitals bring unique assets to Safe Communities coalitions, such as: 

Data on injuries they treat, to better determine what’s occurring in the 

community and to target resources. 

Employees who are effective advocates and spokespersons. Healthcare 

professionals put a face on injuries and share success stories about 

people saved by the safety belt, air bag, or child safety seat. Hospital 

professionals also can share their experience on consequences of unsafe 

behavior. 

Vast credibility with the public and media, which helps frame injury 

prevention as a key healthcare issue. 

Connections to others engaged in prevention, acute care, and 

rehabilitation who can be drawn into the coalition. 

Skills in injury prevention, education, marketing, fund raising, evaluation, 

computers, telecommunications, and data collection. 

Meeting and event space to lend the coalition. 

Sophisticated communications capabilities such as web development, 

media buying, recording studios, print shops, newsletters or magazines, 
and radio or TV shows. 

Large groups of employees and volunteers on whom coalitions can rely. 

Participation in Safe Communities 

Coalitions 

Safe Communities coalitions need their local hospitals, which, in turn, benefit 

from participation. Two options for hospitals: 

Join an existing Safe Communities coalition. 

Organize a new coalition. 

A hospital’s staff may already know about a local Safe Communities coalition 

because they interact daily with the police and fire departments, the public health 

department, schools, or local employers. If a local coalition exists, the hospital 

can contact members to learn when the next meeting will be held. The coalition 

certainly will be pleased to have the hospital participate. The group probably 

wanted to recruit the hospital, but didn’t know whom to approach. 

Forming a Coalition 

If a local coalition does not exist, hospitals are poised to lead the forming of a 

broad-based alliance. 

First, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to 

learn about regional NHTSA staff who have been trained in the Safe 

Communities approach. Such individuals can help budding coalitions save time 

and money. Also see “Getting Started,” an educational piece in NHTSA’s Safe 

Communities Folio series. 

NHTSA’s web site at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/safecommunities includes: 

Background on the Safe Communities concept. 

Examples of what other coalitions have done. 

List of coalitions nationwide (Town Square Directory). 

Links to Safe Communities coalitions’ web sites. 

Links to traffic safety and other safety organizations around the world. 

Links to web pages with program ideas, reports, data, evaluation 

techniques, and other helpful resources. 

Downloadable reports and other documents. 
Hospital success stories about Safe Communities coalitions can be found at: 

Cape Girardeau (MO) Safe Communities: 

www.cityofcapegirardeau.org/depts/police/safe.html

Dallas Injury Prevention Center: 

www3.utsouthwestern.edu/parkland/ipc/realindex.htm 

Harlem Hospital Center: www.injuryfree.org/site_display.cfm?

PermanentId=27CE86C5-D546-40F6-AB7227EEBBE50E10

Providence (RI) Safe Communities Partnership (Hasbro Children’s 

Hospital): www.edc.org/buildingsafecommunities/vol1_1/injcntrl.htm

Riley Hospital for Kids (Indianapolis, IN) “Safety Smart: Developing and 

Maintaining an Integrated Injury Control System”: 

www.rileyhospital.org/document.jsp?locid=1534 

The hospital should decide which department would lead the forming of the 

coalition. Often selected are: 

Departments concerned with the hospital’s image: 

Marketing 

Public relations 

Community relations 

Community outreach 

Departments with the greatest stake in injury prevention: 

Emergency 

Trauma 

Pediatrics 

Wellness/patient education 

A combination of both groups. 

Once leadership is assigned, the hospital needs to decide which community 

groups should be invited to join the coalition. A good place to start is the local 

community council of nonprofit organizations or the United Way, as they are most 

likely to know what others are doing about safety. They can also help identify 

less obvious potential partners. Personnel in the hospital’s emergency 

department, acute care, and rehab areas can help identify coalition participants. 

Law enforcement, emergency medical services (EMS), and other services 

groups can also provide data, expertise, and experience to a new Safe 

Communities coalition. 

Whether or not to invite other hospitals to join the coalition may be a sensitive 

issue. Being the only hospital in a coalition may offer an advantage in publicity 
and good corporate citizenship. Hospitals that keep out competition may have 

difficulty recruiting other community members because they are reluctant to be 

involved in an exclusive relationship. Also, the data from all local hospitals are 

important for fully understanding the local injury problem. 

Injury prevention is such a crucial public health issue an inclusive coalition may 

be worthwhile. If a hospital chooses to invite other hospitals into the coalition, the 

local hospital association may be helpful in creating a more neutral environment 

for organizing the coalition. 

Approaching Potential Coalition Members 

Invite potential coalition members to a planning meeting at the hospital. Most 

people and organizations like to feel needed: Tell them they are important to 

solving this major public health problem. 

The First Meeting 

At the planning meeting, share facts on injury prevention and the Safe 

Communities approach. NHTSA’s Safe Communities web site has marketing 

presentations you can download and use. The hospital’s emergency and trauma 

departments can provide data to highlight the community’s injury problem. From 

the Internet, find examples of what other communities in your State or region 

have done. Or use examples from communities similar in size to your own. 

The hospital may wish to provide the coalition’s initial administrative and 

institutional support. This will get things off to a running start and make others 

feel more comfortable about committing to the new endeavor. Such a 

commitment from the hospital is not needed, however, since a great service has 

been done by organizing the first coalition meeting. 

If enough interest exists, the next step is for the group to select a chairperson. 

Then it’s up to the chair to set a date and agenda for the next meeting. 

Act Now! 

The benefits of hospitals leading a Safe Communities program far outweigh any 

barriers. With healthcare costs remaining high and reimbursement struggling to 

keep pace, hospitals need effective ways to reduce treatment costs. Hospitals’ 

expertise and standing in the community poises them to meet the injury 

prevention challenge. The Safe Communities model offers a proven success 

strategy for hospitals willing to play a leading role in reducing injuries. By 

preventing injuries, a Safe Communities coalition may be just what the doctor 

ordered. 
Special Thanks 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration appreciates the help from: 

Jennifer Smith, Injury Prevention Program, Pitt County Memorial Hospital; Martha 

Stowe, Greater Dallas Injury Prevention Center; Dr. Barbara Barlow, Injury Free 

Coalition For Kids Program, Harlem Hospital Center; and Laurie Flaherty, 

Emergency Nurses Association. 

Prescriptions for Safer Communities 

Ways U.S. hospitals can serve their local Safe Communities coalitions: 

Buckle-up checkpoints in the hospital parking lot. Buckled-in drivers 

rewarded with ice cream from the hospital cafeteria. 

Child safety seat checkups in the hospital parking lot. 

Train coalition members and others on correct installation of child safety 

seats. 

Research on alcohol’s affect on the incidence and severity of trauma 

treated in the hospital’s emergency room. 

Public relations staff can provide guidance and support for a coalition 

campaign. 

Feature the coalition on the hospital’s weekly radio show or in-house 

newsletter. 

Give coalition a free booth at a hospitalsponsored fun run or community 

health fair. 

Purchase fatal vision goggles and loan them to other coalition members. 

Also: 

Create motor vehicle safety program for the older drivers. 

Distribute Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) safe driving 

materials to hospital employees. 

Recruit staff to distribute safety literature on street corners. 

Build playgrounds to give children an alternative to playing in the streets. 

Provide classroom instruction on vehicle occupant and pedestrian safety to 

school children. 

Train Hispanic safety advocates to go into schools to train other parents on 

safety issues.