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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CEP Emergency Department Participates in Every 15 Minutes Program

Contact: Sarah Hay
800.476.1504
hays@cep.com

(Oakland, Calif, Nov. 27, 2002) Inland Valley Medical Center, Wildomar, Calif, a CEP-contracted site, participated in Every 15 Minutes, a program designed to educate local high school students on the potentially dangerous consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The program is named after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistic, which indicates that someone in the United States dies or is injured in an alcohol or drug-related collision every 15 minutes.

Inland Valley Medical Center’s Emergency Department began participating in the program in 1999 and continues to do so each year. Although driving under the influence (DUI) occurs in all age groups, teen-age drivers are especially at risk. Dr. Edward Pillar, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Inland Valley Medical Center, recognized this high-risk age group and was determined to do something about it.

“As the only trauma center serving the entire southwest region of Riverside County, our group of emergency medicine physicians treat a significant number of alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents on a regular basis. Many of these crash victims are teenagers. We had to do something,” said Dr. Pillar.

“This is a great program. It challenges these kids to think about drinking, driving, and personal safety,” says Dr. Reza Vaezazizi, EMS Director and Emergency Department physician at Inland Valley Medical Center. “It also teaches them to be responsible and shows the consequences of a bad decision.”

Every 15 Minutes simulates an alcohol-related automobile accident with major injuries and fatalities of high school students, from the time of the crash to the life saving efforts in the Emergency Department, giving the students a first-hand view of the realities of driving under the influence. A typical scenario is as follows: Students assemble in one of the local high school’s football stadiums, and the “Grim Reaper” roams around a staged automobile crash scene. A voice of a dispatcher is blared over the loudspeaker, simulating emergency radio response calls. Empty beer bottles are strewn on the ground near the crumpled vehicles. The “dead” and “injured” lay in various positions in and around the wreckage. Only one person, the intoxicated driver, is on his feet stumbling around the crash site. A sobriety test is given to the driver and he is “arrested” for driving under the influence and taken to jail. The most critically injured victims are flown by helicopter to Inland Valley Medical Center and the emergency physicians simulate the care and treatment of these patients. The entire event is videotaped and later broadcast on local cable television.

“Even though it is not real, I believe the program is very effective and the students are getting the message,” says Dr. Steven Kim, Emergency Department physician at Inland Valley Medical Center. “One of the most effective parts of the program is when I have to tell parents that their son or daughter has died,” says Dr. Pillar. “It is not real. But just the thought that your child could be killed is very traumatic. Part of the program’s effectiveness is in its shock value.”

Every 15 Minutes is just one of the many community-based activities that CEP participates in each year. Events such as Every 15 Minutes are important in strengthing the ties in the community and demonstrates CEP commitment to improving emergency prevention and awareness.