In partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, investigators in the Division of Health Promotion & Sports Medicine at OHSU were awarded an almost $300,000 Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) grant to create and distribute two 20-minute safety videotapes.

One video will be for owners and workers in Adult Foster Homes (AFHs). AFHs are a rapidly expanding living situation for vulnerable adults. Training resources for AFH employees are limited, and collaborators at the Office of Licensing and Regulatory Oversight at the Oregon Department of Human Services are enthusiastic about having a safety training video tailored to the needs of AFH workers.

The second video is for independent-living seniors and will be distributed with the assistance of Loaves & Fishes through their Meals-on-Wheels and community meal center programs. The Division will be working with East Fourth Studios, which is a production company that has worked with the Division on their prior educational videos.

The project builds of the Division’s success their safemoms.org project. Also funded by FEMA, the Division produced English and Spanish versions of two 20-minute safety and wellness videos for families with young children. These engaging and entertaining videos are being distributed in collaboration with the Federal WIC program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). The videos also can be viewed and downloaded from the safemoms.org website.

The Division is one of the partners in the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center. Diane Elliot, MD, is principal investigator for the videos, and Linn Goldberg, MD, is a co-investigator. Esther Moe, PhD, MPH, is project director, and she noted, “We are excited to begin. We look forward to using the videos and the social support of their distribution mechanisms to improve safety in AFHs and the homes of seniors.”

Submitted by Diane Elliot, MD.