The Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN) has announced that the P.A.R.T.Y Program is back at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
The Prevent Alcohol & Risk-related Trauma in Youth (P.A.R.T.Y) Program focuses on preventing trauma and injuries before they happen by giving secondary school students the opportunity to experience firsthand knowledge of the journey a trauma patient takes through RAH.
The Program has been operating out of RAH for seven years, but has been running a mobile program since the beginning of the pandemic.
With Cedar College students the first allowed on-site last month, the comments from the students included:
* “I loved the whole experience, I would recommend to anyone. Everyone was really nice as well;
* “The hands on scenario was extremely fun and exciting! It really put me in the shoes of a health provider to understand the stress they undergo; and
* “I learned that every risk will have consequences on me, my friends/family and strangers.”
According to CAHLN, students spend part of the program with front line emergency services and health professionals who care for trauma patients and hear firsthand accounts from trauma survivors to help them develop skills in recognising situations that can potentially lead to injury or death.
“In Australia, trauma is responsible for over 40 per cent of deaths in the 15- to 25-year-old age group, with many more left with varying disabilities,” the CALHN said.
“This is often the result of a combination of risk-related behaviour and alcohol and/or drugs, with evidence showing 75 per cent of traumatic injuries and deaths in this age group are preventable.”
CALHN said the P.A.R.T.Y Program empowers students with the knowledge of consequences of risk taking behaviour to help them make safer and ultimately lifesaving decisions.
To find out more about the P.A.R.T.Y Program, follow this PS News link.
