Karen Jewell Receives Award for Intervention Program
Last updated: 12/20/2007
Cabell Huntington Hospital's Trauma Program Director Bruce Trent poses with Karen Jewell and the awards she received.
Karen Jewell, RN, MSN, C-FNP, trauma service nurse practitioner for Cabell Huntington Hospital's Trauma Services, received an award from the Safe Traffic Operations Program and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety for an innovative safety program she created. The Screening and Brief Intervention Program targets trauma patients who have tested positive for alcohol, and it attempts to educate them on the effects of alcohol on their health and safety and its impact on others.
Jewell meets with patients in a private setting using a booklet that she and Trauma Program Director Bruce Trent created with the help of the hospital's Marketing Department. During her meetings with patients, she encourages them to make a personal commitment to discontinue the use of alcohol while operating motor vehicles or engaging in activities in which alcohol can affect their safety. The booklet contains a questionnaire that helps patients understand the impact of alcohol use on themselves and others.
Cabell Huntington Hospital is designated as a Level II Trauma Center by the state of West Virginia and is verified by the American College of Surgeons.