April 20, 2011

Riverside, Calif. — April 20, 2011 — The senior class at La Sierra High School witnessed first-hand a gruesome, yet life-awakening experience as they participated in the Every 15 Minutes Program on Wednesday, April 13, 2011.

At approximately 10:15 a.m. on April 13th, two student victims from a staged crash scene at La Sierra High School were transported via ambulance to Riverside Community Hospital’s Trauma Center as part of the program.

Riverside Community Hospital once again took part in the Every 15 Minutes Program, coordinated by the Riverside Police Department, in partnership with the Highway Patrol, the California Office of Traffic Safety, La Sierra High School, Riverside City Fire Department, and American Medical Response. The program is used as an educational tool to influence teens’ decisions on alcohol, drinking and driving, and increase their understanding of the impact these decisions have on their family and friends.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008, 11,773 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving collisions, representing nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. This trend continued in 2009, with 10,839 deaths nationally, again representing 32% of all traffic fatalities. The program received its name in the mid 1990’s, because every 15 minutes someone died in an alcohol-related traffic collision. Funding for the Every 15 Minutes Program is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the California Highway Patrol and community donations.

Hospital staff, Trauma Surgeons and Emergency Medicine Physicians at Riverside Community Hospital participated in this "Mock Drill" that was staged and video-taped in the Emergency Department’s Trauma Rooms. Two students participated as staged victims in this drill, and were rushed into the ER, where medical physicians attempted to resuscitate them. As part of the drill, the two students were later pronounced dead.

Student participants continued their experience as they were given an actual tour of the hospital’s emergency room, morgue, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the Operating Room (OR). During their tour, they met with physicians and nurses, who discussed some of the consequences of drinking and driving.

An assembly was held at La Sierra High School on April 14th, at which the "deceased" students were reunited with their parents. The senior class attended an assembly, where a video of the previous day’s activities were shown and presentations were made by several guest speakers.

This program allows these students to receive first hand knowledge of how one decision can change their entire life, as well as the lives of those around them. "The impact this program has on these students is life altering." says Georgi Collins, Riverside Community Hospital’s Trauma Program Manager. "The Every 15 Minutes Program gives these high school students a chance to think twice before drinking and driving and raises the awareness of the consequences associated with consumption of alcohol and irresponsible choices. Riverside Community Hospital is honored to participate in this life changing program."

About The Every 15 Minutes Program
The Every 15 Minutes Program is designed to depict real-life experience without the real-life risks. The goal is to educate high school students about the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking and driving, and to show how often a person is killed in an alcohol-related car crash.

As part of the 2-day program, students experienced a simulated fatal traffic collision with a DUI driver, student fatality, and the aftermath of the collision. The demonstration is conducted on the school grounds, typically for the senior class to view. As the injured students are treated by rescue workers, they experience first hand, the sensations of being involved in a tragic, alcohol-related collision. On the scene, the coroner, FireFighters, Paramedics, and Police Officers are there reacting to the scene as they would in a real-life situation.

Throughout the day, random students who have been pre-selected are removed from class every 15 minutes. An obituary is then read to the classmates explaining the circumstances of the student’s demise. A few minutes later, the student is returned to class as the "living dead," complete with white face make-up, a coroner's tag, and a black Every 15 Minutes T-shirt. For the remainder of the school day, the "victims" will not speak or interact with the other students.