P.A.R.T.Y Program
Yesterday, our Year 11 and 12 Health Education students participated in an interactive workshop at the RBWH.
P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) is an in-hospital injury prevention program run out of a number of local hospitals. Through meeting health professionals that care for trauma patients, the program seeks to give participants a snapshot of possible traumatic and often preventable consequences of risk related behaviours and to teach students to make smart choices.
Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death in people under the age of 45. In 2010/2011 over 75,000 young people aged 14-25 years needed hospital inpatient treatment for trauma injuries in Australia. Young people in this age group are grossly over represented in injury and trauma statistics, both in terms of death and long term disability. Road trauma is still one of the most common causes of mortality and catastrophic injury in youth.
Students that attend a P.A.R.T.Y. program see exactly what it’s like to be a trauma patient. Through short presentations and interactive simulated clinical scenarios, participants meet health professionals, emergency services personnel (e.g. ambulance officers), and people who have experienced trauma and survived, often with significant disabilities.
Students learned valuable lessons during the program, and took home strategies to help them make informed choices before engaging in risk taking behaviour.
