St. Mary appointed new community traffic safety liaison through PennDOT grant
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
He may not be a physician tasked with treating the ailments and illnesses of patients. And he may not be a surgeon, responsible for the human life lying on the table before him. But Shane Ryan is saving people. Instead of using a scalpel and stitches, he’s utilizing prevention and education.
Ryan, a Holland native, was recently hired as St. Mary Medical Center’s first-ever community traffic safety liaison, a newly created role made possible by a PennDOT grant. In his position, Ryan is coordinating local safety events, partnering with area police departments and spreading awareness about the importance of car seats and bike helmets.
Ultimately, his goal is to keep Bucks County residents from coming to St. Mary for injuries that could’ve been prevented if they had the necessary knowledge.
“As important as our inspection and enforcement programs are to help everyone stay safe, education and community outreach have an outsized role in what we are doing in Bucks County,” he said.
According to Ryan, the position of community traffic safety liaison, which was previously housed at TMA Bucks, has been vacant for some time. But that changed when PennDOT partnered with St. Mary to improve the safety of Bucks County roads and highways. Once the hospital was given the grant, an annual award distributed to projects using allocation formulas based on crash data, it was able to take on a full-time employee solely dedicated to this task.
When considering candidates for the role, trauma prevention coordinator Kim Everett knew Ryan would be the perfect fit. During the summer of 2015, Ryan completed an internship at St. Mary under the tutelage of Everett, whom he kept in contact with. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in public health from Temple University that same year, Ryan spent some time in Philadelphia teaching nutritional education at various schools.
Although it was a good learning experience, Ryan soon found himself craving a work environment outside of the city. Earlier this year, his wish was granted when Everett informed him of the community traffic safety liaison position available at St. Mary. Ryan couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.
So far, Ryan has been making great strides in helping residents of all ages stay safe on the road. On a regular basis, he visits schools and camps to speak to kids and teens about everything from seat belts and bike helmets to the dangers of drunken driving.
To further spread his message, Ryan has also partnered with the law enforcement of Lower Southampton, Newtown and Yardley Borough to determine how they can work together to keep communities safe. During several ride-alongs, Ryan witnessed drivers being pulled over for not having their young child in a car seat, and bikers being stopped for not wearing a helmet.
Rather than reprimand the offender and write a ticket, he and the police officer talked to the person. While the officer discussed the specifics of the law, Ryan provided some background on why these laws were implemented and how they’re meant to protect residents, not stifle their freedom. Though he has only taken part in a few ride-alongs, Ryan has seen an overwhelmingly positive response. He explained how people are more inclined to listen if they understand what exactly they did wrong, and have a chance to fix it before getting slammed with a pricey fine.
“Us pairing up together, it helps the respect go both ways,” he said.
Moving forward, Ryan plans to connect with more police departments and first responders throughout Bucks County to educate as many people as possible on road safety.
He also hopes to expand the reach of St. Mary’s current trauma prevention initiatives, especially CarFit. The program aids senior citizens in identifying how well their car is suited to their size, with staff demonstrating how to properly adjust mirrors and seats. Though these are small, often forgotten actions, they can be the deciding factor between life and death in the face of a crash. Ryan plans to boost awareness of CarFit events held at St. Mary, as well as the trauma prevention staff available to answer questions and concerns.
As Ryan continues to thrive in his new role and expand the reach of the trauma prevention program, his overall mission will remain unchanged — to have a positive impact on the community by teaching drivers and bikers simple ways to avoid a trip to the hospital.
“Community involvement and education are critical components of what we are trying to accomplish and will seek to partner with other community organizations to provide education opportunities about pedestrian safety and the dangers of speeding, aggressive, distracted and impaired driving,” he said. ••
St. Mary Medical Center is located at 1201 Langhorne-Newtown Road, Langhorne. Visit stmaryhealthcare.org/trauma for more on its trauma prevention and education programs.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
