In the period from January 1, 1997 to June 30, 2003, twelve (12) young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (SWO) tribe on the Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes. In the nine-year period between 1995 and 2003, there were 462 severe injuries that resulted in amputation, loss of consciousness, fractures, hospitalization for at least one day and/or fatality. With these numbers in mind, the Community Injury Prevention Team (CIPT), under the leadership of Injury Prevention Coordinator Shannon White got busy.

Membership of the CIPT consists of volunteers from Community Health Education (CHE), Health Administration (HA), Tribal Police Department (TPD), Indian Health Services (IHS) and others in the community. The CIPT, which had existed in some form since the 1980’s, had ceased being active in the early 1990’s. The objectives of the CIPT were to reorganize the team, implement a safety belt project in the schools, and coordinate establishment and implementation of SADD and MADD chapters in the community.

The CIPT has met a total of 10 times. A Collaborative Agreement was approved and authorized by the Tribal Council. It was signed by both the SWO Chairman and the Aberdeen Area Director. Elections were held in May for team leadership. To date, the CIPT has 29 signed members comprised of people from various tribal programs, tribal law enforcement, tribal court, IHS, the local newspaper, tribal schools, and local organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club. The CIPT has been involved in various educational activities and members met to help shape the application for the new IHS Injury Prevention Grant.

For the second major objective, Shannon and the CIPT replicated the Gallup High School Seatbelt Campaign Model. The project includes several phases, including education, incentive giving and enforcement coupled with educational events throughout the year. Evaluation of efficacy would be based on observational seatbelt surveys conducted before, during and after interventions were implemented. During the educational blitz, Richard Malone, the motivational speaker who helped develop the Gallup Seat Belt Project, UTTC students and “Miss Click-It” all spoke at Tiospa Zina Tribal School and at Sisseton Wahpeton College. An essay contest was held along with public service announcements being aired and articles written for the Sota lya Ye Yapi, Iyapaha, SWO Daily Bulletin, Tiospa Zina paper and the Courier. Injury prevention specialists also made presentations.

Shannon would help with the third major objective to establish and implement SADD/MADD chapters in the community. SADD could potentially be implemented at both Tiospa Zina Tribal School and Enemy Swim Day School. In order to implement MADD, the CIPT proposed combining MADD with the Community and Family for Kids Coalition. The coordinator of the Codington County MADD Chapter out of Watertown, SD is a tribal member and was interested in getting involved with the CIPT. The two groups collaborated for a variety of projects including the victim impact panel, a video project and a powwow display. Because of a late start, school officials were reluctant to start SADD Chapters in the schools, but this will be a goal for the upcoming year.

In evaluating the activities, SWO saw progress in safety belt use rates. Tiospa Zina Tribal School increased seatbelt usage from 39% to 60% in the period from October 2004 to May 2005. Sisseton Wahpeton College saw an increase from 29% to 57% during that same time period. Shannon had made presentations to eight different groups and in doing so, believes she has increased community awareness. She published 19 articles and press releases in local publications related to injury prevention and put on two training sessions for tribal police. Signs were put up including a sign at Sisseton Wahpeton College that reads “Buckle Up” in the Dakota language, and a booth was utilized at the Tribal Health Fair.

Shannon and the CIPT have learned that persistence pays. All successes, even small ones, are something to be proud of. Shannon warns others never to underestimate the power of word of mouth and adds that collaborating with others is a must. For more information Shannon White may be contacted at the SWO Injury prevention Program in Agency Village, SD, 605-698-3922.