About The Program
About Us
The Community Injury Prevention and Emergency Preparedness Program was developed by a professional group of healthcare workers to lessen the impact of health-related events or injuries. With expertise from years of medical training, certifications in Injury Prevention, Basic Life Support and Stop the Bleed, we provide the knowledge and skills necessary to keep children and adults safer and more prepared when biking, or to let a bystander, family member or friend take action in the event of an emergency. These programs offer the skills and knowledge to allow those precious moments before help arrives to be productive and potentially lifesaving. Minutes Matter!
History
The Community Injury Prevention Program is an extension of a program initiated in 2000 by Donna Galbraith RN BSN CEN who was an Emergency Department Nurse at UPMC Passavant McCandless. Her goal was to provide Injury Prevention education to local children and adults to prevent or at least lessen the impact of injuries. Many accidents are preventable, but when they cannot be prevented, there are many things that can be done to diminish the impact of those events. Joined in 2003 by Jeanmarie Daugherty RN CEN, also an Emergency Department Nurse, the program was expanded and grew to include Bicycle and Helmet Safety, Teens, and Good Decisions (Alcohol Awareness and Driving Decisions), and Child Passenger Safety. For 23 years, over 200,000 people were addressed, from small classes throughout the day, or in auditoriums, at health fairs or bicycle rodeos. Education that involved much student interaction and involvement was presented showing them what consequences their decisions may have on their or their family or friend’s lives. A yearlong research project proved the efficacy of the program. In 2021, both Donna and Jeanmarie retired, and approached the Passavant Hospital Foundation on volunteer opportunities and continuing their mission to educate the public.
In 2023, a need was identified in the community for an all-inclusive program that would cover Emergency Preparedness. The support and connections of the Passavant Hospital Foundation team, collaboration with UPMC Minutes Matter, and the addition of Megan Tomaino MPAS PAC, who had already helped to provide in-hospital education on Stop the Bleed and a key force behind getting Stop the Bleed kits installed in appropriate areas of UPMC Passavant Hospital Campus, including the Maintenance Department, completed a core team to meet that need.
Mission
Our mission is to lessen the impact of health or injury related emergencies by providing free education to the community including instructional classes and hands-on exposure and practice with available aids such as AED trainers, Stop the Bleed kits, CPR manikins and Trainer Epinephrine (Epi-Pens). With education, easy to remember instructions, and hands on opportunities, bystanders are more likely to step in and make those Minutes Matter before EMS arrives.
Values
As nurses, we not only have a responsibility to provide quality care, but also to provide education to prevent, control, or alleviate health issues. This includes injuries. Any education is valuable and if only one person can use any of the information or experiences offered and help someone or themselves by reacting to a situation, we will have succeeded.
Vision
Emergencies are a part of life, whether they happen to us or to someone near us. The more prepared we are to deal with those emergencies, the more likely the outcome will be as good as it can be. Not all survive, but if we know we have done what we can, to the best of our ability, we can rest easy.
The Community Injury Prevention Program is designed to be an ongoing and evolving program much needed in the expanding communities of the North Hills. As the population increases, traffic worsens, and our EMS services are stretched to their limits, we will continue see a lengthening in response time as have many other areas. There is nothing quite as horrible as feeling helpless in an emergency and having to wait for help to arrive, not knowing what to do. By providing some simple steps, a bit of knowledge, and hands on experience, our vision is to diminish the amount of injury or disability a person would otherwise suffer.
The classes will be led by experienced RNs, EMS personnel, and other medical personnel who are certified in Basic Life Support and Stop the Bleed as Instructors. Along with experience, a wealth of knowledge, and a passion for sharing injury prevention strategies, these will be interactive, fast paced classes, with time for any questions or concerns afterwards.
Contact Us to Schedule a Program!
Phone: 412-748-3266