The Richland County Health Department has hired Mary Friesz as its new Injury Prevention Specialist/DUI Task Force coordinator. Her responsibilities include informing and educating the public on safety issues of all sorts as well as working with the adult community on drinking and driving issues and concerns.
“Both unintentional injury and drinking and driving are vital issues for Richland County,” Friesz remarks. “Unintentional injury is the number 1 leading cause of death in Montana and it is the third leading cause of death in Richland County. As far as DUI issues are concerned, this area has one of the highest levels of blood alcohol content for DUI arrest. The Injury Prevention Coalition will focus on safety issues and the DUI Task Force goal is to educate the public regarding responsibility when it comes to alcohol consumption.”
Friesz defines unintentional injury as any preventable injury that causes bodily harm. This includes but is not limited to farm, work, home, vehicle and biking accidents. “There is so much we have to focus on, and all of it is preventable,” she remarks.
She adds, “Injury prevention and DUI are related. 46% of vehicle accidents are DUI related. This qualifies as unintentional injury.”
Friesz already has helped implement several programs to help educate and inform the public, and that help keep people safe. She has more plans and projects in the works for the future. “The DUI Task Force and Richland County Transportation offered free bus rides during the Centennial and the fair,” she says. “Both were successful. 159 people took advantage of this service, which is a new concept in Richland County. Richland County Transportation will continue to offer this service at major events that serve alcohol.”
She adds, ‘The Richland County Health Department and the Sidney Health Center will offer training to key community leaders that can use this knowledge to help them recognize drinking problems early on, and train them on how to approach these people to get them the help they need.”
The Injury Prevention Coalition will offer a farm safety workshop at the end of September and a car seat safety check, also scheduled for September. She plans to publish information in local newspapers on a regular basis dealing with a variety of safety issues, and expects to offer workshops and training sessions on important safety issues. “We want to touch on everything and to reach all segments of the population,” she comments. “The whole point is that we want to see the community safe. I’ve been here for 18 months now and this is my home and my future, and I want to make a difference in this community.”
Friesz invites input, assistance, and feedback from the public. She also encourages people to contact her with questions or to discuss safety issues. “I am open to the public for resources and information,” Friesz says. “We are available for everyone, and I welcome visitors. People can contact me to request training or for information. As we see a need for special training, we will try to offer workshops dealing with that issue.”
Friesz has office hours from Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. People may call her at the Richland County Health Department (406-433-2207) or contact her via email at [email protected]. She also encourages people to check out the web site as http://www.richland.org/health.
“Anyone with questions or ideas can stop in or email me,” she comments. “To succeed, we need team players and partners, and we need to work with all available resources because we are here to protect and educate the public. We are reaching out to the public who may have a passion for a particular idea.”
She concludes, “I am excited to be here. I have my work cut out for me, but working together we can make a difference in the health and safety of our communities.”
Reader Comments(0)