Injury Prevention Program

Note: As of July 1, 2012, the Office of Injury Prevention became the Injury Prevention Program. Documents and activities finalized prior to this date will retain "Office of Injury Prevention".

Overview

The Injury Prevention Program, in conjunction with the Florida Injury Prevention Advisory Council (FIPAC), annually recognizes an individual who demonstrates commitment to injury prevention. The FIPAC’s Injury Prevention Award Subcommittee reviews nominations submitted by injury prevention stakeholders. The award began in 2006 and the award presentation takes place at the FIPAC annual fall meeting.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this program by phone or in writing.

For additional information on the Injury Prevention Award, please contact the Injury Prevention Program or call (850)245-4440.

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2011 Award Recipient

Ms. Mimi Sutherland has spent her entire nursing career trying to understand and prevent injuries in individuals regardless of the mechanism or intent. In light of a rash of gun violence involving teens in the Miami Dade area, Ms. Sutherland took it upon herself to develop the GATE Program. The GATE Program at Jackson Memorial Hospital is an alternative court-mandated program for adolescents involved with weapons. The six-month long after school program is an experiential educational program focusing on life choices and consequences. A non-punitive approach has proven to be far more effective in changing attitudes and behaviors. The youths learn first hand the injury and death consequences of risk taking choices. During the last two months of the program they learn and build new skills to deal with their everyday lives at school, home, and on the street with their peers. Positive peer pressure is used to facilitate change. The program culminates in a graduation including a CPR Certificate to acknowledge their achievements. The program has been funded for the past 11 years by the Youth Crime Task Force of Miami-Dade County. GATE Program graduates have proven to be very successful and are well represented in the military, law enforcement, EMS, colleges, and on professional sports teams. An early graduate is now a full-time employee of the GATE Program. Ms. Sutherland spearheaded the Jackson Memorial Hospital’s effort to establish the Dade County Injury Prevention Coalition by inviting natural partners to the table to address injuries. She co-chairs the Florida Safe Kids Coalition as well as the Brain Injury Association of Florida. Ms. Sutherland educated hospital staff and faculty on the importance and responsibility of recognizing and intervening for (when appropriate) injury prevention. Ms. Sutherland has sat on both private and public boards at every level (hospital, university, county, state and national) addressing the need for injury prevention and continually reminding other members of the sheer devastation of injuries. Ms. Sutherland is a member of Goal Team 2 on the Florida Injury Prevention Advisory Council.

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Past Award Recipients

2010 Award Recipient:

Virginia Dodd, Ph.D., M.P.H., is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Health Education and Behavior at the University of Florida. Dr. Dodd serves as a Goal Team Leader on the Florida Injury Prevention Advisory Council and was an Injury Prevention 101 volunteer faculty presenter.

2009 Award Recipient:

Stephen McCloskey was the Duval County Health Department’s Injury Prevention Program Manager. In August 2009, Mr. McCloskey accepted a position with the Duval County Health Department’s Tobacco Prevention Program.

2008 Award Recipients:

C.T. “Chuck” Kearns is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to the Executive Management Team for Community Emergency Medical Service (EMS).

Lt. Trisha Dunkelmann is a Community Education Specialist for the City of Delray Beach Fire-Rescue.

2007 Award Recipient:

Deborah Mulligan, M.D., is the Director of the Institute for Child Health Policy, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Nova Southeastern University. She is also an attending physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.

2006 Award Recipients:

Karen Liller, Ph.D., is Dean for Graduate Studies at the University of South Florida. She is a tenured full professor specializing in health education and injury prevention.

Glenda Wolnik, R.N., was a Senior Community Nursing Supervisor who worked full-time for the Lee County Health Department promoting health education and injury prevention.

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