Students face trauma head on

A GROUP of Stage 1 and Stage 2 Mount Gambier High School students attended the Mount Gambier Hospital to participate in the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma (P.A.R.T.Y.) course.

The course was run by trauma nurses Hannah and Belinda from Adelaide and Flinders Hospitals, along with local ambulance officer David, police officer Teressa, and Mount Gambier Hospital trauma nurse Lucy.

One of the statistics shared during the course was that trauma is responsible for 40% of deaths in 15–25-year-olds, a shocking statistic that continues to rise. The P.A.R.T.Y. program is an educational initiative designed to teach young people, in a practical setting, how risk-taking behaviours can lead to trauma.

The course provided students with the opportunity to hear from trauma professionals and survivors, promoting healthy choices and helping to reduce risky behaviours among youth. The hands-on experience allowed students to gain insight into real-life situations that occur in the emergency and trauma units of the Mount Gambier Hospital.

The course encourages participants to apply the knowledge they gained to minimise risk-taking within their own lives and peer groups.