Community Outreach
The IU/Wishard’s Level I Trauma Center is dedicated to educating the community to help prevent avoidable injuries.
Distracted, Excessive Speeding, Aggressive and DUI Driving (D.E.A.D.)
The D.E.A.D. Driving Project is directed toward people who have been ordered to appear before a court for a moving violation or DUI. Participants hear a 30-minute presentation with statistics related to motor vehicle crashes from distracted drivers, those using excessive speed, those driving aggressively and those driving under the influence. Participants also watch a video made by people involved with crashes due to the aforementioned circumstances.
Drive Your Bike
The Drive Your Bike initiative program promotes bicycle safety to the Wishard community. Topics discussed include rules of the road and learning about appropriate riding gear. Wishard Health Services staff members distribute information to patients waiting at the community health centers on a weekly basis from April to August.
Emergency Department Car Seat Program
Through grant funding, Trauma Services started a car seat replacement program. Trauma Services replaces car seats free of charge to pediatric patients who have been involved in a motor vehicle crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends replacing car seats after moderate or severe crashes. The family receives safety information on child passenger safety devices and car seat inspection stations.
Emergency Nurses Cancel Alcohol Related Emergencies (ENCARE)
Wishard’s injury prevention coordinator visits junior high and high schools in the Indianapolis area to present seminars on alcohol-related accidents and improper use of seat belts. According to recent surveys, alcohol and other drug use continue to be a major problem among teenagers, and, only through a multi-pronged approach, including education and enforcement, will we be able to prevent this abuse.
Alcohol Intervention
The faculty of the IU/Wishard Level I Trauma Center have partnered with physicians of Wishard Health Services’ Midtown Community Mental Health Center to develop a protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of brief interventions in changing drinking patterns in high-risk drinkers following admission to the trauma service.
Contact Us
For more information about these community outreach programs, please call the IU/Wishard Level I Trauma Center at
317.630.2531.