“Don’t Crash Your Dreams!”

Pawhuska, Ok. – The mock crash named “Don’t Crash Your Dreams” was presented to the Pawhuska High School students on April 30, 2021.  It was coordinated by the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) and the WahZhaZhe Health Center’s Osage Partnership for Success grant which was funded by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 
 
The coordinators and funders partnered with the following: Pawhuska High School, Osage Nation (ON) Johnson O'Malley (JOM) Program, ON Emergency Management Service, ON Police Department, Osage County Sheriff’s Department, Pawhuska’s Fire Department, Osage Nation Ambulance, Air Evacuation, and Husky Wrecker. 
 
The program was renamed Native American Youth Influencers (NAYI)—previously known as Osage Partnership for Prevention (OPP).  OPP is a joint substance abuse prevention initiative between the AAIP and the Osage Nation. For the past two years, students ages 10-19 have participated in the Culture & Drugs Don’t Mix Virtual Prevention Program in which four students have been featured in the Poster Prevention Series showing the use of Culture as Prevention. 
 
Melanie Johnson of OPP commented, “On behalf of the NAYI, AAIP, and WahZhaZhe Health Center, we hope that the mock simulation helped to raise awareness about driving impaired with life-like simulation.  It was designed to encourage safe driving habits for high school students.  It was also an opportunity for the community to come together to show how much love and concern they have for our young people.”
 
The Osage Nation Education Department was instrumental in this project.  Avis Ballard, the JOM Coordinator explained that the ONED worked with the representatives from the AAIP and the WahZhaZhe Health Center (collaboratively known as OPP) on substance abuse prevention activities for Native youth.  She said, “One of the plans included a simulated car crash for Pawhuska high school students.  We wanted to discourage them from driving while intoxicated.”  Ballard helped to organize the event and contacted first responders in Pawhuska to get their assistance. 
 
Mary Wildcat, Director of ONED, added, “We feel honored to have been able to be a part of such an impactful event for our youth and hope that the students felt the love and care from their community. We appreciate the support from all of the stakeholders involved. I especially want to thank Avis Ballard, the Osage Nation JOM Coordinator, for all of her hard work and dedication that she contributed to this event.”
 
The NAYI gave a special thanks to several project assistants, for bringing awareness of drinking and driving, texting and driving, and distracted driving with the students at Pawhuska High School.  The assistants named included: (HOKA Sounds), motivational speaker and advocate Chance Rush, Make Up for students by ON Counseling Center staff (Deanna Cosby), WahZhaZhe Health Center, and the National Indian Education Association (NIEA).  Pawhuska High School students (seen pictured) served as actors in the April 30th enactment. 
 
For more information about the Association of American Indian Physicians and the Osage Partnerships for Prevention, please visit: https://www.aaip.org/programs/osage-partnerships-for-prevention/?fbclid=IwAR0B-UnDyrarL4DY5E5-lbp3xP756pFEryoHgRgG6QxoSe-WF7TKlSsbyX4
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OPP4PreventionPFS/
 
For more information about the WahZhaZhe Health Center, visit: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/wahzhazhe-health-center
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ONHSWahZhaZheHealthCenter
 
For more information about the ON Education Department, visit: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/education-department
JOM Group Information: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/education-department/johnson-omalley-group-information
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/osageeducation
 
For more information about the ON Emergency Management Department, visit: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/emergency-management
 
For more information about the ON Counseling Center, visit: https://www.osagenation-nsn.gov/what-we-do/counseling-center