Outreach programs:
Outreach Programs for Youth
For children and teen-agers, the Trauma Center offers public outreach and education programs focusing on trauma prevention, including bicycle safety, playground safety and seatbelt safety. Crozer professionals reach adolescents by attending dozens of community health fairs each year as well as providing specially scheduled programs at schools.
Crozer’s Trauma Prevention Committee also developed the Counter Act Random Acts of Violence Now (CARAVN) program to sensitize young people to violent behavior and its consequences.
The purpose of CARAVN is to expose students who are potential victims of violence to all aspects of trauma care – from resuscitation through rehabilitation. In addition, the students observe the technology used to provide trauma care. The students learn about the devastating effects of violent acts, especially death and disability.
CARAVN was initially offered to ninth grade students at Chester High School, but the popular program has since expanded to include students throughout the Chester-Upland School District, Ridley High School and other schools. It is also mandatory for the Consent Decree Program for first-time offenders in the Delaware County Juvenile Probation Department.
The two-hour program includes a tour of trauma areas as well as a presentation on violence and its consequences. At the end of the program, the students are able to:
Identify two types of lifestyles that are considered “high risk” with regard to violence.
Correlate the use of drugs, alcohol and weapons with the increased number of violent deaths.
Describe the physical and emotional impact of a violent act on the victim, his family and the community.
The Crozer Regional Trauma Center has also taken steps to prevent and treat trauma injuries in seniors. Crozer physicians and other professionals present a range of programs at senior centers in the community focusing on a range of topics, including domestic violence and home safety.
The Trauma Center also formed a Geriatric Task Force to create guidelines for treating geriatric trauma patients. The Trauma Center has a protocol in place for all high-risk geriatric patients that includes admission to the Intensive Care Unit; a geriatric or internal medicine consult; regular neurologic exams and regular checks for fluid balance, vital signs and pulmonary sounds.
In addition, the Trauma Center works closely with other Crozer-Keystone Health System programs devoted to seniors. These initiatives include the Senior Wellness Program, which coordinates such offerings as the Geriatric Evaluation and Management program and the Senior Support Line, which seniors and their loved ones can call to be connected to various community services; and a Fall Risk Assessment and Intervention Program coordinated by the health system’s Physical Medical and Rehabilitation Department.
The Crozer Regional Trauma Center also serves as an educational resource for other emergency medicine and trauma professionals in the region.
For example, the Trauma Center conducts an annual adult and pediatric trauma symposium for health care professionals in the community – from physicians to social workers. The day-long symposium includes discussions about the latest clinical and operational practices in emergency and trauma care. The Trauma Center also participates in frequent continuing education programs specifically geared for emergency medical services professionals.
Trauma Center professionals also provide periodic educational sessions about various topics for medical students and working professionals. These sessions are provided both at Crozer and in the community.
Crozer-Chester Medical Center is a teaching hospital that offers residency programs in Family Practice, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics and Transitional Year, as well as a podiatric residency, an osteopathic rotating internship and a sports medicine fellowship program.
Dozens of students train each year at six allied health professional schools: the Emergency Medical Services Training Institute, the School of Clinical Neurophysiology, the School of Diagnostic Ultrasound, the School of Nurse Anesthesia, the School of Radiologic Technology, and the School of Respiratory Therapy.
For more information about outreach programs coordinated by the Crozer Regional Trauma Center, contact Debra Lillback at 610-447-6091.