Delaware Coalition for Injury Prevention
Motor Vehicle Crash Prevention Team

Team Leaders:

Joan Pirrung, APRN, Alene Honecker, Trish Bachman

Member Agencies:

Christiana Care Health Services, Bayhealth Medical Centers, Delaware Office of Highway Safety, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Community Traffic Safety Program

Key Objective(s):

Coordinate public awareness efforts to reduce the number of alcohol related injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle crashes.

Key 2008 Project Name(s):

1. Holiday Mocktail Parties – Safe Family Holiday Events
2. Partnership with Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS)

Brief Project Description:

Team members from A I duPont, Bayhealth Medical Center, Beebe Medical Center, Christiana Care and Nanticoke hospitals again hosted holiday Mocktail parties. These events were organized by each institution utilizing informational materials provided by OHS. Institutions held and will continue to hold other non-alcoholic party planning initiatives during other holiday family events such as Halloween and St Patrick’s Day.

A I duPont, Bayhealth Medical Center, Beebe Medical Center, Christiana Care and Nanticoke hospitals will continue to provide their local communities with pamphlets, brochures and posters from OHS during health fairs, community events and on Emergency Department bulletin boards.

Project Outcome

1. Attendance for Mocktail parties in 2008:  1,950  (1,500 in 2007)
2. Distribution of materials given by OHS to hospitals and rural health ministries: 58 posters - 1,125 flyers - 220 table tents
3. Alcohol-related fatalities declined from 46% of all traffic fatalities (2007) to 37% (2008)

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