290 likes | 480 Views
The Dallas Safe Communities Experience. Safe Communities America Networking Meeting August 2010. Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas. Just how big is TEXAS?. The land area of Texas is larger than all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined.
E N D
The Dallas Safe Communities Experience Safe Communities America Networking Meeting August 2010 Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas
Just how big is TEXAS? • The land area of Texas is larger than all of New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois combined. • 41 of Texas’s 254 counties are larger than the state of Rhode Island. • El Paso, Texas is closer to Needles, California (516 miles) than it is to Dallas (571 miles)
The “Big D” • 2.3 million population – 9th largest city in the US. • Dallas/Ft. Worth airport is larger than New York City’s Manhattan Island. • In 2006, 43% of Dallas residents identified themselves as Hispanic.
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. ” • John Wooden
In 1991, Dallas was facing a crisis Injuries and associated deaths had increased by 38% over previous years. Trauma-related injuries (major and severe) were growing at such a rate that by 1995, the number of trauma patients would eventually exceed the capacity of Dallas area hospitals to treat them.
Something had to be done. . . . . . but, not the same things we had always done.
“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” - Albert Einstein
In 1992, more than 100 Dallas area health, government and business leaders examined this critical issue and developed a unique plan to address the problem… …and established the Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas.
In 1996, the IPC assisted Dallas in becoming the first World Health Organization (WHO) designated Safe Community in the United States. Dallas was recertified by the WHO in 2007.
Funding Dallas County hospitals Government grants Private foundations
Coalitions Citizens for Traffic Safety Dallas Area Pedestrian Safety Coalition Dallas Area Falls Prevention Coalition Child Abuse Prevention Coalition Domestic Violence Awareness Coalition Family Violence Prevention Council
Document the frequency and causes of injuries. • Dallas County Child Death Review Team • Medical Examiner • Trauma Registry • Texas Transportation Institute • Other
Long-term, sustainable programs that promote safety among high-risk groups and environments • Operation Installation
House Fire-related Deaths and Death Rates,Dallas, TX 1991-2008 1991-99: Ave. 20 deaths/ 1,000,000 pop. 2000-08: Ave. 12 deaths/1,000,000 pop. Operation Installation CDC Grant
Deaths and Injuries per 100 House Fires in the Lowest-income Census Tracts (< 15k) Dallas, TX Target Census Tracts before and after Operation Installation (OI) [60% Decline] P < 0.05
Long-term, sustainable programs that promote safety among high-risk groups and environments • Child passenger safety
Several projects designed to increase child passenger safety use in Hispanic neighborhoods Designed with input from focus groups Activities in various locations Health Center (deHaro clinic) Day Care Centers Neighborhoods Churches Addressed additional issues/concerns of population Immigration, social security, etc.
Sobriety Checkpoints • Conducted focus groups to gather information about knowledge of sobriety checkpoints • Hispanic males • Hispanic females • African American males • White males • Presented the results to the Citizens for Traffic Safety Coalition (CTS)/MADD. • Will assist CST and MADD in developing messages/talking points for 2011 legislation.
Stockholm (1996) Participation in Safe Communities Networks • Conferences • Australia (1996) • Dallas (1996) • Rotterdam (1998) • Prague/Vienna (1999) • Bergen (2005) • South Africa (2006) • Canada (2008) • Study Visits • Edmonton (1995) • Stockholm (1996) • Amsterdam (1998) • Rotterdam (1998) • Madison, WI (2009) • Shawnee, OK (2009)
Questions? Shelli Stephens Stidham slstid@parknet.pmh.org Carrie Nie cnie@parknet.pmh.org 214-590-4454