Southcentral Foundation Rural Anchorage Area Health Network
- Project Title: ATV Safety Program
- Grant Period: 2021-2025
- Program Representative Interviewed: Jasen Thompson, Project Director, Audrey Foster, Program Manager
- Location: Anchorage, Alaska
-
Program Overview: The Southcentral
Foundation is a nonprofit tribal health services organization that serves Alaska Native and American
Indian communities in Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and 55 rural villages within the Anchorage
Service Unit. The Southcentral Foundation partnered with neighboring organizations to create the Rural
Anchorage Area Health Network in response to community concerns about all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety and
the toll of ATV crashes.
To gain a better understanding of the impact of ATV crashes in rural Alaska, the Network established a system to track data related to ATV crashes, concussions, and traumatic brain injuries. The Network developed a form that integrates with the electronic health record (EHR) system and can be used by providers to document ATV crashes and related injuries. The Network implemented trainings for providers to help them learn how to use the electronic form and to help them recognize signs of concussions. All health providers within the Network are required to take these trainings.
The Network is also planning to launch community ATV safety events. Modeled after bike rodeo safety events, these events are primarily designed for children and families and include helmet fittings and distribution and marketing of an ATV safety curriculum tailored to the community. To prepare for the events, the Network sent community volunteers to trainings led by the ATV Safety Institute. The Network also recruited community members and trusted community leaders, such as police and fire chiefs, to participate in trainings, volunteer at the events, and — using a train-the-trainer approach — be able to teach other community members to lead similar events in the future.