0:11

Welcome to the injury and violence prevention INdepth podcast. My name is

0:13

Mighty Fine, and I'm the host of

0:16

this Safe States Alliance

0:16

production. In this space we'll

0:19

engage in dialogue with IVP

0:19

professionals on a variety of

0:22

issues. To help inform our

0:22

listeners on the latest trends

0:25

and hot topics in injury and

0:25

violence prevention. This

0:28

episode is sponsored by the

0:28

American Trauma Society, or ATS

0:31

for short. And this organization

0:31

is dedicated to the elimination

0:35

of needless death and disability

0:35

from injury. For over 50 years,

0:39

the ATS has served as an

0:39

advocate for the trauma care

0:41

system, trauma prevention

0:41

programs and survivors of trauma

0:45

along with their families

0:45

throughout the United States.

0:48

They have a mission to save

0:48

lives, improve care and empower

0:51

survivors. Learn more about ATS

0:51

by visiting their website at

0:55

www.amtrauma.org. On today's

0:55

episode, our spotlight is on the

0:58

crucial aspects of advocating

0:58

and educating within the realm

1:02

of injury and violence

1:02

prevention and the broader

1:05

public health landscape. We'll

1:05

delve into the significance of

1:08

raising awareness, fostering

1:08

education and exploring

1:11

innovative strategies to

1:11

continue to communicate about

1:14

the importance of injury and

1:14

violence prevention. So we can

1:17

all work collectively to ensure

1:17

that we have healthier and safer

1:20

communities. I'm super excited

1:20

because we have three stellar

1:24

guests with us today. And

1:24

they're going to certainly

1:27

contribute to the fullness of

1:27

this conversation. We have Paul

1:31

Bonta ,Maria Cariaso, and

1:31

Madelyn Maxwell. I'll ask each

1:35

of them to introduce themselves

1:35

and then we'll get started.

1:39

Hello. Paul Bonta.

1:39

I'm the Senior Policy Consultant

1:42

at the Safe States Alliance.

1:44

Hi, my name is

1:44

Maria Cariaso. I am the Injury

1:47

Prevention Program Coordinator

1:47

at the Indiana Department of

1:51

Health and I am part of the Safe

1:51

States Fellowship Program.

1:56

My name is Madelyn Maxwell, and I am the Healthy Aging and Falls

1:58

Prevention project coordinator

2:02

for the Injury Prevention

2:02

Service at the Oklahoma State

2:05

Department of Health. I was a

2:05

policy fellow for Safe States

2:09

last year. And now, I am the

2:09

co-chair for the policy

2:12

committee this year.

2:14

Thanks everybody.

2:14

Now let's dive right in. Someone

2:17

talk to me about what Hill Day

2:17

is and the significance and

2:21

importance of it.

2:22

Mighty, maybe I'll

2:22

jump in here. Hill Day is a

2:26

great event that I think allows

2:26

certainly Safe States members

2:30

and injury and violence

2:30

prevention experts across the

2:33

country to engage in the

2:33

policymaking process. Our goal

2:38

is to not only connect our

2:38

members and injury and violence

2:43

prevention experts with members

2:43

of their congressional

2:46

delegation, but to ultimately

2:46

help foster a relationship

2:51

between our members and the

2:51

members of Congress in

2:55

Washington DC who represent

2:55

them. The benefit of engaging in

3:01

Hill Day, I think, is really

3:01

twofold. One, it allows injury

3:05

and violence prevention

3:05

professionals to raise awareness

3:10

about the injury and violence

3:10

prevention issues or programs

3:14

that they care about most.

3:14

Conversely, it allows members of

3:19

Congress to learn that they have

3:19

injury and violence prevention

3:26

experts, they have access to the

3:26

expertise of injury violence

3:32

prevention professionals, among

3:32

those whom they represent in

3:36

their state or in their

3:36

legislative district. So it's a

3:41

great opportunity to promote

3:41

important issues within the

3:43

injury and violence prevention

3:43

arena, and it's a great

3:46

opportunity to promote the

3:46

expertise that members of

3:51

Congress have access to within

3:51

their states or districts.

3:56

Thank thank you for

3:56

that Paul, Maria, or Madelyn

3:59

anything you'd like to add to that?

4:02

Yeah, as an

4:02

injury prevention program

4:05

coordinator, a lot of what I do

4:05

is with the community and being

4:09

boots on the ground, and

4:09

providing that high-level

4:11

management, so I think that Hill

4:11

Day provides this golden

4:15

opportunity for us to inform and

4:15

educate what we might be

4:20

experiencing on the ground. So

4:20

there is a direct engagement

4:25

between policymakers and those

4:25

who are health professionals and

4:31

constantly the ones getting

4:31

feedback from the community. So

4:35

I think it is a great way to be

4:35

that channel of information for

4:41

them and have real-life

4:41

experiences also that could kind

4:46

of provide support and

4:46

supplemental information

4:51

regarding what's going on and

4:51

and also the policies that we

4:56

are making at the state level

4:56

and the federal level.

5:00

Thank you. It

5:00

almost sounds like to me it's an

5:02

opportunity to tell stories as

5:02

well, because we know that

5:05

narratives can hopefully drive a

5:05

point home. So it seems like

5:09

Hill Day presents that

5:09

opportunity as well. Absolutely.

5:12

Very true. Madelyn, anything

5:12

from you?

5:15

Yeah, kind of

5:15

to piggy back what Paul and

5:19

Maria spoke to sharing those

5:19

lived experiences, not only with

5:23

our representatives, really

5:23

helps them see kind of what we

5:28

do in our community. I know last

5:28

year, it was my first Hill Day

5:33

experience. So getting to really

5:33

talk to them about issues that

5:38

are important to me and to my

5:38

state, and to what I do in the

5:41

Injury and Violence Prevention

5:41

Network was very important. I

5:45

think. It's an exciting time

5:45

when you're at Hill Day, too.

5:50

So absolutely. So

5:50

it sounds like to me, obviously

5:54

successful can be somewhat

5:54

subjective, right. But it sounds

5:58

like you all have found some

5:58

success in some way around Hill

6:02

Day, thinking about that, or any

6:02

of the advocacy or educational

6:06

efforts that you've been

6:06

involved in? What are some

6:09

successes that you can share

6:09

with our listeners today.

6:12

So this will be

6:12

my first time at Hill Day. So

6:15

I'm very excited. And I'm

6:15

relatively new to the field. And

6:18

so I'm so grateful for this

6:18

opportunity. Because, you know,

6:25

I do have some, I would say,

6:25

fresh perspectives that I could

6:29

bring on. And this being my

6:29

first time and like I said, I

6:34

have limited experiences, this

6:34

is an exciting time for me,

6:38

because then I think this will

6:38

be pivotal for me, such a

6:42

critical time to because of the

6:42

pressing issues that we have.

6:47

When I was first introduced to

6:47

this field, my when I had my

6:52

internship, I was fresh, a fresh

6:52

graduate. And that was when the

6:57

pandemic happened. So I think we

6:57

are bringing on a freshly

7:03

energized group of health

7:03

professionals, right, that have

7:08

been through really unique

7:08

challenges throughout these

7:13

years, right, you're trying to

7:13

maintain the, you know, the

7:17

approach towards challenges, but

7:17

also towards tackling or

7:21

combating new emerging issues,

7:21

right, such as what the pandemic

7:26

brought on. So I think that if

7:26

anything, this really

7:30

underscores the importance of

7:30

advocacy efforts, right. So I'm

7:35

just really looking forward to

7:35

this experience. And I know that

7:39

this will be one of my really,

7:39

like I said, pivotal moments of

7:45

my career.

7:46

Absolutely. I'm

7:46

excited for you. And I think

7:48

about we won't say how long ago,

7:48

right, but my first time on the

7:53

hill. And having an opportunity

7:53

to interact with legislators is

7:58

as a sort of rush that you get,

7:58

I think, especially your first

8:01

time, or your first go round, at

8:01

least that has been my

8:03

experience. So it's a lot. I'm

8:03

glad to hear that you're excited

8:06

about it. And then you speak to

8:06

the importance of making sure

8:09

that that pipeline is secure. So

8:09

as folks are maybe leaving the

8:13

advocacy space, they're there

8:13

folks coming up behind them,

8:17

who's who's ready to take up

8:17

that mantle. Other thoughts from

8:21

either Paul or Madelyn,

8:21

especially thinking about? Paul,

8:24

I can think about the times

8:24

we've engaged and, you know,

8:28

advocacy and policy has its

8:28

challenges. But I'm just

8:33

curious, in addition to like

8:33

what Maria shared and talking

8:36

about being reinvigorated.

8:36

What's something that keeps you

8:39

all continuing to do it or your

8:39

desire to sort of push this work

8:43

forward?

8:43

Mighty, it's the

8:43

progress that we're making. And

8:46

so I can point to a few

8:46

instances where we've had

8:49

success. And so it's through the

8:49

engagement of injury violence

8:53

prevention professionals, in the

8:53

policy making process, that the

8:57

National Violent Death Reporting

8:57

System today is a nationwide

9:01

program. When we first started

9:01

working on NVDRS, it was a very

9:05

small program funded it just you

9:05

know, a couple million dollars,

9:09

and it only existed in 12

9:09

states. Today, it's funded

9:13

abruptly $25 billion. It's in

9:13

all 50 states and a handful of

9:17

US territories. And that's a

9:17

success that has been realized

9:22

directly because of the

9:22

engagement of injury and

9:24

violence prevention

9:24

professionals who have gone to

9:26

Capitol Hill to urge their

9:26

policymakers to educate their

9:30

policymakers about the need to

9:30

fund this program in their

9:35

state. Additionally, we've been

9:35

working with a handful of

9:39

champions in the house and a

9:39

senate for the past several

9:41

years and circulating a Dear

9:41

Colleague letter during the

9:44

annual appropriations process

9:44

calling for additional

9:47

investments and pro priority set

9:47

of injury violence prevention

9:52

programs. Well, again, it's

9:52

through the engagement in the

9:55

policy making process of injury

9:55

violence prevention

9:58

professionals, that We've been

9:58

able to systematically increase

10:03

the level of support in both the

10:03

House and the Senate that we've

10:06

received on these dear colleague

10:06

letters year after year. Why is

10:10

because injury and violence

10:10

prevention experts have

10:13

contacted their members of their

10:13

congressional delegation to say,

10:17

Hey, there's this letter

10:17

circulating, urging additional

10:20

funding for these programs. And

10:20

as an injury violence prevention

10:24

professional, I ask that you

10:24

sign on that you signal your

10:28

support for these programs. So

10:28

those are successes that not

10:31

only are very rewarding, but

10:31

that type of success and being

10:36

able to witness that makes it

10:36

easy to continue doing this work

10:39

For folks

10:39

listening. And you clearly can't

10:39

absolutely. see me smiling and shaking my

10:42

head. But I'm in supreme

10:46

agreement with you there, Paul.

10:46

And I think that's a great

10:48

point, to bring up that when we

10:48

see what is possible that almost

10:52

serves as a to reinvigorate us

10:52

to push even further and make

10:57

sure that we're galvanizing that

10:57

collective effort for the

11:02

greater good of our community.

11:02

So thank you for uplifting that.

11:08

So, thinking about the folks who

11:08

maybe can't do this direct work,

11:12

like some of you are doing for

11:12

Hill Day, or any other sort of

11:16

advocacy or educational efforts?

11:16

What are some other ways that

11:20

they can support and Paul you

11:20

alluded to some of this already.

11:23

But again, just a shout out to

11:23

folks who are not as engaged in

11:28

the advocacy again, or education

11:28

space? How can they support

11:32

uplift or magnify the messages

11:32

that you all are bringing to our

11:36

elected officials,

11:37

I'll just quickly

11:37

say, you know, in today's

11:39

virtual environment, engaging,

11:39

has never been easier. Why?

11:44

Because it doesn't require a

11:44

trip to Washington, DC, it

11:48

doesn't require a trip to your

11:48

members of Congress district

11:54

office, in your home state, you

11:54

can engage virtually. And if

11:58

you're unable to engage

11:58

virtually Yes, there are other

12:01

opportunities, there are other

12:01

ways to engage. We've had injury

12:05

violence prevention

12:05

professionals, who have written

12:08

letters to the editor in their

12:08

local newspapers promoting

12:13

raising awareness of a

12:13

particular injury and violence

12:16

prevention program. So there are

12:16

many. And so another thing I'll

12:21

mention is for policymakers,

12:21

either in Washington, DC, or in

12:25

your state capitals, they read

12:25

those letters to the editor, one

12:29

of the first things they do in

12:29

the morning is look at their

12:31

local newspaper to see what are

12:31

people writing in about what are

12:35

the issues that people care

12:35

about, so much so that they've

12:39

taken the time to submit a

12:39

letter to the editor to their

12:42

local paper. So another great

12:42

way, another great opportunity

12:46

to engage in advocacy, without

12:46

needing to travel to your state

12:51

capitol without needing to

12:51

travel to Washington, DC.

12:54

Yeah, I totally

12:54

hear that. And I also appreciate

12:57

you bringing up that advocacy

12:57

can happen at different levels

13:01

where you are, whether you're

13:01

thinking locally, state, and

13:03

certainly nationally, I think

13:03

that's a great point to

13:06

emphasize here. So thanks again,

13:06

for for uplifting that, Madelyn

13:10

and Maria, anything you want to

13:10

contribute to that,

13:13

I will say on

13:13

the Safe States website, they

13:17

have a lot of different tools

13:17

that individuals can go to. They

13:22

have advocacy alerts, and also a

13:22

great tool is they have kind of

13:27

a sample letter that you can

13:27

send to your representatives,

13:31

you can just copy and paste it

13:31

and send it right it has all the

13:34

language for you. And you can

13:34

also add what you know, maybe an

13:38

injury topic that you're very

13:38

passionate about, say older

13:41

adult falls, prevention,

13:41

concussions, etc. So that's a

13:46

great tool. And there's a lot on

13:46

the website as well. And then,

13:50

just like locally, getting

13:50

involved in any coalition and

13:53

knowing your resources to really

13:53

advance your advocacy efforts in

13:57

your state, literally.

13:58

Thank you, Madelyn,

13:58

also just thank you for

14:01

corroborating what I usually

14:01

share with folks in my outro I

14:04

encourage them to check out the

14:04

Safe States website, because

14:07

there are tools and resources of

14:07

great use for you there. And so

14:12

you heard it corroborated here

14:12

today, folks, when Madelyn said

14:15

go to the site, lots of tools

14:15

and resources that you can use

14:18

for your advocacy efforts. So so

14:18

thank you for that.

14:21

Oh, just quickly

14:21

add, you know, in this age of

14:24

technology, we have been

14:24

privileged with a lot of online

14:27

resources, just like my Madelyn

14:27

said, there's there's a lot that

14:32

they can do that people can be a

14:32

part of. And, you know, I think

14:37

through this fellowship, I was

14:37

able to take that opportunity.

14:40

And I also say I will also want

14:40

to say that direct communication

14:45

with your local health

14:45

departments, state departments,

14:50

you know, just whenever you are

14:50

engaging with them, just voicing

14:53

out your your feedback and your

14:53

thoughts, because those can kind

14:57

of create a ripple effect to you

14:57

know, I think just really

15:01

recognizing the importance and

15:01

what communications and these

15:06

meetings can bring about, you

15:06

know, in our day to day

15:09

functions through our work. So

15:09

you just never know who's in the

15:14

room also, and who's listening.

15:14

So just making sure that you

15:18

really seize every opportunity,

15:18

getting yourself informed about

15:22

these issues that you want to

15:22

bring up whenever you are in

15:26

deriving engagement with other

15:26

people in the field.

15:30

Absolutely. So you

15:30

all have shared about Hill Day

15:33

and talked about the

15:33

significance and importance of

15:35

that. We also covered how folks

15:35

maybe not as directly engaged

15:39

can support and elevate this

15:39

work. And, Paul, you alluded to

15:43

this or not alluded but you

15:43

touched on this, when you spoke

15:46

of the NVDRS and the successes

15:46

there. I'm curious to hear from

15:50

you all to expand upon that or

15:50

take us in a different

15:53

direction. How do you believe

15:53

effective advocacy can actually

15:57

make a difference in raising

15:57

awareness and leading or

16:00

ushering us towards positive

16:00

change? And that can be specific

16:04

to injury violence prevention,

16:04

or we're thinking about that

16:07

more broadly, where that

16:07

intersects with other public

16:09

health issues?

16:10

I don't know if I'll answer this question. Exactly. Right. But I know kind

16:11

of one of those successes being

16:18

add Hill Day last year, as part

16:18

as a part of the policy

16:21

fellowship was to develop kind

16:21

of an injury brief over a topic

16:25

that, you know, we wanted to

16:25

bring awareness to. So older

16:28

adult falls prevention, that is

16:28

kind of my expertise, especially

16:32

in the injury prevention world.

16:32

And I know, just talking with my

16:36

representatives that I spoke to

16:36

that day, they didn't really

16:40

have any knowledge of what

16:40

evidence-based fall prevention

16:44

programs were. So just bringing

16:44

that awareness to people that

16:48

aren't always in our world

16:48

really helps. And that can

16:52

emerge change later on. So just

16:52

being able to talk about

16:56

different topics, and then also

16:56

diverse opinions to different

17:00

topics, too. So that didn't

17:00

really answer the question.

17:02

But you did, I do

17:02

think it's important point that

17:08

you make just raising the

17:08

visibility or awareness. And I

17:11

don't know the scientific

17:11

research behind what you made me

17:14

think about, but it's sort of

17:14

like when someone you know, gets

17:18

a new car, or they're reading a

17:18

book, or whenever they introduce

17:21

something new to you, right? And

17:21

it probably was in your sphere

17:26

at some point before, but you

17:26

didn't acknowledge it or notice

17:29

it, because it just had never

17:29

been presented to you. But after

17:32

that thing is presented to you,

17:32

then you're not like, hey,

17:35

everywhere I go, I'm seeing this

17:35

car, I'm seeing this book. So

17:38

it's now a part of your psyche.

17:38

So I say, oh, that again, I

17:41

don't know what the scientific

17:41

pieces of that are. But we'll

17:44

just rock with a hair for the

17:44

purposes of this podcast. But I

17:49

do think you bring up a great

17:49

point just by introducing a

17:52

concept, or data or an issue

17:52

area in this way. I do think it,

17:57

it makes it a part of someone's

17:57

psyche in some manner, then they

18:01

it translates to solutions,

18:01

acknowledgement, etc. later on.

18:05

So I think you didn't answer the

18:05

question, Paul, something you

18:09

wanted to say?

18:11

Well, I mean, it's,

18:11

well, I'll share a story from

18:13

very early in my career -

18:13

doctors of chiropractic

18:17

medicine, were just coming on to

18:17

the scene. And so I had

18:21

chiropractors coming into my

18:21

boss's office, to talk about

18:29

their desire to bill Medicare,

18:29

for the services they were

18:35

offering to their patients. And

18:35

so you know, very early on,

18:38

when, as I said, chiropractors

18:38

were just coming onto the scene,

18:42

they weren't really recognized

18:42

as contributing much value to

18:47

the healthcare system. And so

18:47

when I was meeting with the with

18:51

the chiropractors early on, I

18:51

just thought to myself, this is

18:54

never going to happen. Like they

18:54

will never be able to bill

18:58

Medicare for services they

18:58

provide to their patients. But

19:01

you know, what happened? The

19:01

chiropractors organized

19:05

themselves extremely well, they

19:05

engaged in the policymaking

19:10

process. And so while I was

19:10

still working on the hill, they

19:14

succeeded in getting legislation

19:14

passed that gave them the

19:19

ability to build Medicare for

19:19

the services that they provide.

19:22

And they were they accomplished

19:22

that simply because they were

19:27

committed to engaging in the

19:27

policy making process. They

19:30

highly organized themselves, and

19:30

they ultimately got what they

19:34

wanted a great success for them.

19:36

Absolutely. I think

19:36

that really demonstrates and

19:38

then you talk about sort of the

19:38

longevity of it and even

19:41

thinking about you from a

19:41

staffer to where you are. I

19:44

think that's another sort of

19:44

indication of success that

19:48

someone who's sort of dedicated

19:48

to this work and and continuing

19:52

to do great work in that area.

19:52

So kudos to you for that, Maria,

19:56

something you want to tag.

19:57

Yeah I also want

19:57

to say that you might not make

20:01

very, you know, revolutionary

20:01

change in your own metric,

20:06

right? What you're expecting,

20:06

but just planting a seed in the

20:10

advocacy process and whoever

20:10

you're engaging with, can also

20:14

make a difference. Right? I

20:14

think that sometimes, maybe they

20:19

just need a different narrative

20:19

also, right. And hearing that,

20:23

from a different perspective can

20:23

also spark some kind of, like I

20:27

said, seed in their, in their,

20:27

in their minds. So I think we

20:31

often overlook our efforts,

20:31

because we don't have this

20:36

revolutionary and grand change

20:36

that we are wanting to see in

20:40

the world. But it's really in

20:40

those little efforts, and those

20:43

little things that gradually

20:43

compound the changes that we see

20:47

today, even throughout history,

20:47

right, I think that's what's

20:52

very encouraging in advocacy, in

20:52

advocacy and advocacy efforts.

20:58

It's, it's that whether or not

20:58

it is deemed successful to you,

21:02

it might not, you might not see

21:02

the fruits of it now, but as

21:07

long as you are being heard by

21:07

someone, then you just never

21:11

know where you might go.

21:13

You raised a great

21:13

point. You know, one thing that

21:16

I'm often reminded of, and one

21:16

thing I communicate to those who

21:19

engage in the policy making

21:19

process is that, you know, in

21:23

the policymaking arena success

21:23

is measured in very small

21:27

increments, right, it's it's

21:27

really unrealistic to engage,

21:31

say, you're, you're engaging in

21:31

advocacy, you're supporting a

21:34

specific piece of legislation.

21:34

And so you can't just engage

21:38

once you can't just expect to

21:38

engage in the process for you

21:43

know, a year and and think that

21:43

you'll then get that piece of

21:46

legislation across the finish

21:46

line is I said, Success is

21:50

measured in incremental steps.

21:50

And for those of us who are

21:55

actively engaged for us, it's

21:55

really just about moving the

21:59

needle, be it inch by inch, but

21:59

just know a comp or attaining

22:04

some of those incremental

22:04

successes along the way. And

22:08

which Maria, as you alluded to,

22:08

you know, ultimately will bring

22:13

about to the success you're

22:13

seeking, after sustained

22:17

engagement in the process.

22:19

Yeah, Paul, I think

22:19

you both hit the nail on the

22:21

head, where I think it's

22:21

important in a space where you

22:24

really lean into sort of ideals

22:24

of future orientation,

22:28

recognizing the future is still

22:28

open, right. And we have an

22:31

opportunity to shape it with

22:31

policy, recognizing, like you

22:34

said, it's going to be

22:34

incremental, it's not sort of

22:37

microwavable, like instant pop,

22:37

right? It's really thinking

22:40

about being in it for the long

22:40

call. But and also appreciating

22:44

those intermittent wins or

22:44

successes along the course of,

22:49

of the long term goal. So I

22:49

appreciate that you both are

22:52

reinforcing. So to stay the

22:52

course. Because even sometimes I

22:56

think in in this work, it's not

22:56

always easily visible for folks

23:00

who are a little bit removed.

23:00

And you're not able to

23:02

appreciate these small wins, or

23:02

the shifts that are happening,

23:07

but are not bright and shiny and

23:07

easily noticeable. So I think

23:12

it's great that you both bring

23:12

that point up. And thinking

23:16

about sort of engaging folks and

23:16

understanding the totality of

23:20

this work. How has your

23:20

involvement or any observations

23:23

you've made around advocating

23:23

for IVP, or injury and violence

23:28

prevention reinforce your belief

23:28

in the importance of

23:31

individuals, communities, or

23:31

other entities really

23:34

championing the IVP or related

23:34

issue. So again, just thinking

23:39

about how your involvement in

23:39

your observation of this work

23:44

has really solidified your, your

23:44

belief or feelings that we need

23:49

more people to to move this work

23:49

forward?

23:52

Yeah, I'd like to

23:52

just share quote, real quick by

23:55

Margaret Mead, one of my, I

23:55

would say motivators in this

24:00

field. So she says, Never

24:00

underestimate the power of a

24:03

small group of committed people

24:03

to change the world. In fact,

24:07

that is the only thing that ever

24:07

has. So I think that's what

24:10

keeps me going. You know, in in

24:10

our work sphere, it's not always

24:15

that, like we said, we kind of

24:15

already alluded to this, but

24:18

you'll see successes in a grand

24:18

way, right? Or it has to be

24:23

incremental. So I think we have

24:23

to go back to our why's on as to

24:27

why we're doing it, right, why

24:27

we're here and then your day to

24:30

day mundane operations, you

24:30

might not always feel this, you

24:36

know, this forest or this

24:36

galvanizing force, right? So

24:39

it's important to really look

24:39

within and reflect as to why you

24:43

chose to be in the field that

24:43

you're in. So I think what what

24:47

I've seen in our advocacy group

24:47

is really the passion that what

24:51

people have a right to be a part

24:51

of this on top of what they

24:55

already have on their plate and

24:55

the capacity and we know the the

24:59

heart shifts in the challenges

24:59

that our rural already come

25:03

with. And so this further

25:03

highlights, I think the

25:06

commitment that people have to

25:06

advance the field of injury and

25:11

violence prevention and how

25:11

everybody has their own story

25:15

and their own impetus as to why

25:15

they're here. And I've seen that

25:20

in our meetings. And I've seen

25:20

that in the feedback and the

25:23

engagement of other

25:23

professionals in the fields.

25:25

This has really allowed me to

25:25

become to feel more inspired and

25:29

to hear other people's insights

25:29

into what's going on in other

25:33

states, because at the state

25:33

level, obviously, you you're so

25:36

focused on what's going on in

25:36

your state. And so this really

25:40

created an opportunity for me

25:40

and with many other Safe States

25:45

events to not only gain in in

25:45

insights, but also just ideas

25:50

that I could leverage in my own

25:50

state. Right. So I think the

25:54

most important piece of it is

25:54

the exchange of ideas that

25:58

otherwise would not have been

25:58

gifted up, if it wasn't for if

26:02

it wasn't partaking in the Safe

26:02

States. advocacy efforts.

26:07

Yeah, I think

26:07

it's just, you know, working in

26:10

the public health field, you get

26:10

to see a lot of different

26:14

communities and seeing what the

26:14

community need is, and also just

26:19

kind of when you hear a success

26:19

story about one of your

26:21

programs, or you know, people

26:21

send stuff in that your program

26:26

helped them and you've made a

26:26

little bit of change, that

26:29

definitely keeps you going. I

26:29

know, in Oklahoma, we have some

26:34

home safety supplies through our

26:34

older adult falls prevention,

26:38

coalition and injury prevention.

26:38

And there was an older woman,

26:42

she didn't have lights for three

26:42

months, and we sent her light

26:46

bulbs, and she was able to have

26:46

light in her home again, and

26:49

that probably prevented a false

26:49

for her. So just success stories

26:54

about programs, and really

26:54

engaging with your community and

26:57

helping others.

26:58

And I love that

26:58

Madelyn because there are things

27:00

that are very attainable, right

27:00

getting someone some lightbulbs,

27:04

because we know they're

27:04

protective against someone

27:07

falling. And that's something

27:07

that seemingly achievable,

27:10

right. So I appreciate you

27:10

bringing that up as well. So we

27:15

think about this in totality. So

27:15

like the things that are going

27:19

to take a little bit more time,

27:19

right, but also those

27:21

intermediary steps and pieces

27:21

that we can do to ensure that

27:25

folks are safe, positive,

27:25

something you wanted to share?

27:29

Well,

27:29

I'll just quickly add, and you know, Madelyn mentioned, the tool that we have

27:31

on our website that allows our

27:36

members to engage directly to

27:36

communicate directly with

27:40

members of their congressional

27:40

delegation. You know, we didn't

27:43

have that a few years ago. But

27:43

we have that today. Because we

27:47

recognize the need for more

27:47

enduring violence prevention

27:50

experts to engage in the

27:50

process, we recognize the need

27:54

for Safe States to make that

27:54

engagement as easy as possible.

27:59

Additionally, you know, Maria

27:59

talked about the passion within

28:03

the field. And we've seen that

28:03

passion, we've seen that passion

28:07

grow, I've seen that passion

28:07

grow. The injury and violence

28:09

prevention policy fellowship

28:09

program, is one that again, we

28:14

didn't have that just a few

28:14

years ago. But we recognize the

28:19

need to grow the voice of

28:19

injury, abolished prevention

28:24

professionals in the

28:24

policymaking arena. And today,

28:28

not only do we have this

28:28

fellowship in place, but we've

28:30

seen an increasing number of

28:30

applicants who apply to the

28:36

fellowship every year. So when

28:36

you see that passion, you want

28:40

to do everything you can to help

28:40

facilitate that to help expand

28:45

that. And so that keeps you

28:45

engaged, that that keeps you

28:48

coming back and looking to do

28:48

more for the injury violence

28:52

prevention community.

28:53

Yes, it's great to

28:53

hear that the applications are

28:56

increasing, because to your

28:56

point, more folks are aware of

29:00

it and are interested in doing

29:00

the work and then Safe States

29:03

has an opportunity to really

29:03

shape that pipeline. So that's a

29:07

really exciting news. And as

29:07

we're thinking about shaping the

29:11

pipeline and meeting more folks

29:11

to address some of these issues

29:14

and injury and violence

29:14

prevention. Madelyn, you talked

29:18

about falls prevention. Paul,

29:18

you mentioned and NVDRS. So I'm

29:21

curious to hear from you all,

29:21

what is an upcoming or current

29:25

injury violence prevention

29:25

issue, you believe needs to be

29:28

prioritized in some way. So more

29:28

folks are aware of it and can

29:32

find out ways that they can help

29:32

to support it.

29:35

Well, that you

29:35

know, the emerging issue of

29:38

foreign violence. This is I

29:38

mean, it's it's always occurred,

29:42

but not to this extent. And I

29:42

think, in conjunction with

29:46

mental health declines, we are

29:46

needing more of a hands on an

29:51

innovative approach when it

29:51

comes to reduction of our own

29:54

violence. Think that's what what

29:54

I've been seeing in the increase

29:58

when it comes to injury. You're

29:58

in, in our state. And, of

30:03

course, older adult false has

30:03

always been consistently a

30:07

concerning issue. So, really, I

30:07

would like to see and hear about

30:14

some innovative approaches that

30:14

other people have that I could

30:19

bring on to my own state as

30:19

well. So that we could, we could

30:23

see some tangible reduction in

30:23

in those numbers.

30:28

Got it. So in

30:28

addition to elevating the

30:31

issues, but also sort of

30:31

sourcing what are some of these

30:34

innovative approaches that can

30:34

be scaled up and translate? It

30:38

sounds like you're saying across

30:38

sort of geographic distinctions

30:42

and the like, polar Madeline,

30:42

what's on your radar? What do

30:46

you see is, and it can be

30:46

something that you're working on

30:49

now. But you you feel there's a

30:49

need to elevate it a little

30:53

more?

30:54

Well, you know, I

30:54

agree with Maria, I think

30:57

foreign violence prevention is

30:57

an issue that's drawing, drawing

31:02

more and more advocates into the

31:02

policymaking arena. I've spoken

31:09

to a handful of groups where

31:09

I've made the point that, yes,

31:14

mass shootings are absolutely

31:14

horrible. And and and we all

31:19

hate waking up to the news of

31:19

another mass shooting. But I

31:23

think the the cadre of advocates

31:23

who are now engaging in support

31:29

of some type of firearm violence

31:29

prevention policy is larger than

31:35

it ever has been before. Because

31:35

today, there are so many

31:39

individuals who have been

31:39

impacted who have been

31:41

negatively impacted by gun

31:41

violence. And so, you know, I, I

31:48

firmly believe that, recognizing

31:48

that, you know, today we have,

31:53

you know, the NRA is in the

31:53

weakest position it ever has

31:57

been before. And we have a

31:57

growing number of advocates

32:02

willing to engage. And I think

32:02

we also have some evidence based

32:07

solutions that might, as you

32:07

said, should be lifted up. And

32:12

we just need to educate

32:12

policymakers about the impact

32:16

that some of these local

32:16

solutions are having in

32:19

communities across the country,

32:19

so that they can learn from them

32:22

and that hopefully, provide the

32:22

resources necessary to scale

32:26

those up.

32:28

Absolutely, I was

32:28

giving you a virtual round of

32:31

applause. Both of you, because

32:31

as you both will Maria, you may

32:35

not know, because, you know, a

32:35

firearm violence is an area that

32:39

I'm very passionate about and

32:39

totally agree. We know what can

32:44

be effective in reducing these

32:44

premature deaths and injuries.

32:50

So I'm totally right there with

32:50

you. So Madelyn, we heard older

32:55

adult falls, which you've

32:55

mentioned, and Maria mentioned

32:58

that as well, in firearm

32:58

violence, is there anything else

33:01

you think is worth mentioning?

33:01

Or that you're working on? Or

33:06

you've been thinking about?

33:08

Yeah, those are

33:08

two very important topics. I

33:12

work mainly on older adult falls

33:12

prevention. So that one is very

33:16

near and dear to me. I also

33:16

think, you know, suicide

33:19

prevention, you know, after

33:19

COVID-19, we had so many people

33:24

isolated and experiencing

33:24

loneliness through that period

33:27

of time. So I think, definitely

33:27

moving the pendulum on that.

33:31

Also drug overdose. That's a

33:31

huge one also in the United

33:35

States, you know, to be looked

33:35

at and policies and how we can

33:39

kind of shift some stigma around

33:39

both those issues is very

33:43

important and to advocate for

33:43

anyone that may be suffering.

33:48

And so just kind of reducing

33:48

stigma as well. Awesome.

33:51

Thank you. Thank

33:51

you for that. I, you know, I've

33:54

learned a lot about you all

33:54

during the conversation today.

33:57

And as someone who's not

33:57

involved in the type of advocacy

34:02

you all do or doesn't look the

34:02

same way. It certainly made me

34:05

smile and just sort of, you

34:05

know, percolated some things in

34:10

me and how I plan to shift some

34:10

of the programming and the work

34:12

that I do. With that being said,

34:12

I for those of you all, who

34:17

can't see them, as you all

34:17

talked about it, I did, I did

34:20

see some smiles, right. So I'm

34:20

just curious, from your

34:23

perspective, what do you enjoy

34:23

most about the advocacy that

34:27

you're doing? And if folks are

34:27

listening, and Maria, you

34:30

mentioned this will be your

34:30

first hill day. So as folks are

34:33

thinking about where they want

34:33

to go in the area of injury,

34:36

violence prevention, and if

34:36

advocacy are somewhat something

34:39

relevant to that is where they

34:39

see themselves operating, what

34:44

advice can you share with them?

34:44

So two things, what do you enjoy

34:47

most about advocacy? And what

34:47

advice do you have for someone

34:51

pursuing a career in this lane?

34:53

In thinking ahead

34:53

since I you know, I have no

34:56

experience prior to this. I am

34:56

most excited and enjoy the part

35:01

of garnering information really,

35:01

for the advocacy process, I have

35:07

learned so much, you know, not

35:07

only will I get the opportunity

35:11

to inform our policymakers, but

35:11

myself professionally and

35:15

personally, have grown

35:15

tremendously throughout this

35:19

process, because I have been

35:19

educated, I've been informed, I

35:23

have listened to all the, all

35:23

the wonderful people involved

35:27

and committed to effecting the

35:27

changes that they want to see.

35:32

So it's been, it's been a very

35:32

inspiring journey. For me, I

35:36

will say, I think that together,

35:36

our voices are obviously more

35:41

powerful and stronger. So it

35:41

just really amplifies me and I

35:49

bring with me, to hell day, the

35:49

voices that, you know, might not

35:55

have the opportunity to be

35:55

there. And all of my lived

35:59

experiences and all of the

35:59

stories of her and the

36:02

narratives I've seen from the

36:02

media, from the news from the

36:06

people directly impacted by

36:06

injury and violence. Those I

36:12

will take with me that day. And,

36:12

and I honor them, I honor their

36:17

lives, I honor all of the lives

36:17

lost because of those

36:21

preventative preventable

36:21

incidents. And, really, that's

36:27

what is sparking the

36:27

conversations that I will be

36:31

having on Hill day.

36:34

Yeah, I like that

36:34

you brought that up, too, and

36:37

made me think about, at least in

36:37

my perspective, I don't think

36:40

some will say not everybody

36:40

recognizes someone who's doing

36:44

advocacy, it's a route to

36:44

becoming a subject matter expert

36:48

and said area, right, because as

36:48

you mentioned, you're

36:50

continually educating yourself.

36:50

So you're reading you're

36:53

engaging. So I think that's a

36:53

great point to elevate is that

36:57

it is a way that you really

36:57

sensibly, you become a subject

37:01

matter expert in that area. So I

37:01

think that is certainly worth

37:05

mentioning. And folks to think

37:05

about it in that manner, as

37:09

well. Paul and Madelyn...

37:11

Yeah, Mighty, what

37:11

excites me is seeing the

37:15

increased number of injury and

37:15

violence prevention

37:18

professionals who are engaging

37:18

in the policymaking process.

37:21

This year, advocacy day, we're

37:21

going to have over 50 attendees

37:26

come to an in person Advocacy

37:26

Day event on Capitol Hill. And I

37:31

know full well that next year,

37:31

we're going to bust. Even you

37:35

know, right through that 50

37:35

participation mark and, and

37:39

hopefully come close to 100. And

37:39

so it's really exciting to see

37:44

more and more injury and

37:44

violence prevention

37:47

professionals looking and

37:47

working to engage in the

37:52

policymaking process. And my

37:52

advice to those looking to

37:56

engage is simply to just take

37:56

that first step of engaging,

38:02

take that first step to perhaps

38:02

have your first conversation

38:06

ever with a lawmaker on Capitol

38:06

Hill or with a lawmaker in your

38:13

state capitol to just simply

38:13

talk about the work that you do.

38:17

That's what we tell our

38:17

advocates all the time, your

38:21

role is to talk about what you

38:21

do your role is to talk about

38:24

the impact of the injury and

38:24

violence prevention programs

38:28

that you're working on back

38:28

home. So it truly is easy. I

38:32

think the difficult part is

38:32

taking that first step taking,

38:36

you know, making the initiative

38:36

taking the initiative to have

38:40

that initial conversation with

38:40

your representative or your

38:45

senator at either the state or

38:45

the national level. But my

38:47

advice is, take that first step,

38:47

you'll enjoy it, you'll see how

38:51

easy it is. And you will soon

38:51

realize the benefits of

38:56

engaging.

38:56

Absolutely Madelyn,

38:56

you want to you want to close us

38:59

on now take us home?

39:00

Um, well, I

39:00

would say maybe one of the most

39:02

exciting things about advocacy

39:02

is our voice does matter. So you

39:08

never know when you're going to

39:08

go speak to your

39:10

representatives, especially on

39:10

Hill day is that you might find

39:14

your new champion for your

39:14

state. So that's always an

39:19

exciting time. And just knowing

39:19

that, like kind of Paul said,

39:23

taking that first step, it can

39:23

be very intimidating. But once

39:27

you do it, you have your

39:27

confidence. And the topics are

39:32

important to them. And like I

39:32

said, if you can find that

39:34

champion, it's great.The topics

39:34

are important to them, and they

39:38

want to hear from you.

39:39

Absolutely right.

39:40

And just like to

39:40

add to there's always something

39:44

that you know that other people

39:44

don't so don't be afraid to

39:46

share that and I think knowledge

39:46

is power, but it's even more

39:50

powerful when shared and

39:50

circulated.

39:53

Absolutely, totally

39:53

agree. Because it's sort of

39:56

invigorates other folks so learn

39:56

a little bit more see how they

39:59

can engage to your point, or you

39:59

all mentioned this really,

40:03

really thinking about the

40:03

collectiveness that's required

40:06

to really move the needle. And I

40:06

think that's something that

40:10

really undergirds the

40:10

conversation today is it's about

40:14

advocating for an issue that you

40:14

care about, but also sharing

40:18

that information so others can

40:18

find ways to get involved as

40:20

well. Well, I want to thank you

40:20

all for engaging in such a

40:24

fruitful dialogue with me today,

40:24

Maria, Madelyn. And, Paul, it's

40:27

been a pleasure. And I'm sure

40:27

the folks listening in will have

40:32

found this to be insightful and

40:32

informative. And hopefully,

40:35

they're there. Some of them will

40:35

be part of that. That lot that

40:39

you mentioned, Paul, that will

40:39

be at Hill Day next year. So

40:43

again, just encouraging folks to

40:43

continue in this space and

40:47

connecting to ensure that we're

40:47

working to make our communities

40:52

safer and healthier for all. So

40:52

that's it. Thank you, everybody.

40:57

Thank you all.

40:58

Thank you.

40:59

Thanks again for

40:59

listening to IVP INdepth. Be

41:02

sure to subscribe and listen to

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check out our website

41:13

SafeStates.org where you can

41:15

find an abundance of injury

41:15

violence prevention tools and

41:18

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our sponsors, the American

41:21

Trauma Society, for supporting

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create space for programs such

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as this. With that, this is your

41:28

host mighty fine signing off and

41:28

until next time, stay safe and

41:32

injury free.