DUI-Awareness Program Lauded

Your April 29 article (“Untimely ‘Deaths’ ”) was excellent except for the fact that it incorrectly identified the hospital that participated in the event! I am writing to provide your readers with further insight as to the profound impact that the “Every Fifteen Minutes” program--part of which was conducted at Pacifica Hospital in Huntington Beach in conjunction with the Huntington Beach Police and Fire departments and the Westminster and Huntington Beach high schools--had on our clinical staff in the emergency room.

Pacifica Hospital was selected because of its proximity to Huntington Beach High and Pacific Coast Highway, which frequently results in our receiving alcohol-related injuries, both from traffic collisions and altercations that occur on or near the beach.

We received two victims from a program “collision.” Our part was to role-play resuscitation efforts for the first victim, who “died” of his head injury, and the second victim, who “expired” from shock related to multiple chest and abdominal injuries. We then had to inform the parents of both teenagers and provide advice regarding the next steps: which mortuary to choose, organ donation, whom to call, etc.

This program forced us to participate in the “non-clinical” aspects of this process in a much more intensive way than usual. The opportunity to observe the powerful emotions elicited from the participating parents and students as they saw the steps taken as a trauma victim proceeds toward death caused us to examine our own feelings about life and death in a different way.

Caregivers who work in emergency departments must harden themselves to the daily emotions they deal with to be able to do the right thing clinically. However, the “Every 15 Minutes” program helped us focus in a new way on the tragedy that alcohol- and drug-related accidents produce for the victims and their families.

We highly recommend that all schools and emergency departments consider making a commitment to participating in this program as a meaningful preventive health exercise.

DR. BRUCE GIPE

Director of Emergency Medicine

Huntington Beach

* This new, proactive anti-DUI education program was considered a success. But most people are unaware of the incredible amount of work that was done in a very short period of time to make the program a reality.

Most other communities take a year to do what this community did in six short weeks. This was only possible because of the enthusiasm, the passion, and the commitment on the part of those who were involved.

I have been in law enforcement for 20 years and have seen a great deal of successful joint ventures on the part of multiple elements in our community, but they all pale in comparison to the immediate can-do attitude involved in the organization of this project. I am absolutely convinced that lives will be saved as a result.

RONALD E. LOWENBERG

Chief of Police

Huntington Beach