Trauma Injury Prevention and Outreach Programs

All trauma centers are required to conduct injury prevention outreach programs within their communities to comply with standard XVII of the state's trauma center standards. These programs consist primarily of educational activities and events designed to raise community awareness of traumatic injuries, and the personal safety measures that one can take to prevent these injuries from occurring. Florida's 22 trauma centers  reported conducting a total of approximately 215 outreach programs in 2009.

Highlights

Based on an August 2009 internet search using the Google Scholar search engine of each trauma center's scholarly output in 2008-2009, Florida's Level I trauma centers have emerged as leaders in specific areas of trauma care and injury prevention.

• Shands Jacksonville Medical Center has long been recognized as a leader in pediatric surgery and pediatric trauma care, under the direction of Dr. Joseph Tepas, Chief of Pediatric Surgery. Shands Jacksonville Medical Center is one of only two, Injury Free Coalition for Kids® member sites in Florida, and together with Shands at the University of Florida and Jackson Memorial Hospital/Ryder Trauma Center, is leading multicenter studies on pediatric traumatic brain injury care and rehabilitation in the state.
• Jackson Memorial Hospital/Ryder Trauma Center, Florida's largest trauma and burn center and one of only two Injury Free Coalition for Kids® member sites in Florida, is leading efforts to prevent pediatric pedestrian injuries in high-risk communities through the statewide "WalkSafe^TMProgram," which is a pediatric pedestrian safety program directed by Dr. Gillian Hotz, in partnership with schools and other trauma centers in the state.
• In recent years, Memorial Regional Hospital (MRH), published a series of noteworthy case reports on injuries resulting from shark attacks (2006), falls (2007), horseback riding (2007), taser guns (2008), and BB pellet (2009), as well as multiple scientific papers authored or coauthored by Dr. Eddy Carrillo, Trauma Medical Director at MRH, on thoracic surgical procedures, reflecting the unique challenges of trauma care in south Florida.

On February 9, 2010, the Florida Injury Prevention Strategic Plan Goal Team 2 approved the use of the Injury Prevention Classification Titles and Definitions developed by the Florida Injury Prevention Advisory Council to identify, compare and evaluate similar injury prevention efforts throughout the state. This systematic classification of injury prevention efforts was utilized by the Office of Trauma staff to prepare the statewide 2009-2010 Inventory of Trauma Center Injury Prevention Efforts. This inventory includes information about the injury prevention activities, projects and programs conducted by Florida's trauma centers in 2009 and is included in the 2009 Florida Trauma System Annual Report. This classification will be utilized in the future by the trauma center injury prevention and outreach coordinators as they develop their annual injury prevention reports for submission to the Office of Trauma.

Injury Prevention Definitions-Classification.

Below are the inventories of the injury prevention efforts of Florida's trauma centers by year.

2009-2010 Inventory of Trauma Center Injury Prevention Efforts

2008 Trauma Center Injury Prevention and Outreach Programs

More details regarding these  programs can be found in the trauma center sections of the 2009 Florida Trauma System Annual Report.

More information about all research projects conducted by Florida's trauma centers may be found under Research Projects from the home page and in the Florida Trauma System Research and Data Report.

Other related injury prevention links and resources:

Brain Injury Association of Florida Awareness and Prevention Programs

Brain Injury Awareness Month
A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone - brain injury does not discriminate. 1.7 million Americans sustain a brain injury each year. You can't plan for a brain injury, but once it happens, you need to know where to go for help. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. The best way to promote awareness is to arm yourself with the facts. Download Brain Injury Association of America's 2012 Fact Sheet for the latest TBI statistics.

Center for Injury Prevention Policy & Practice was formed in 1986 and serves as a resource center on child, adolescent, and older adult injury prevention strategies.

Children's Safety Network Injury Data Technical Assistance Center provides technical assistance to regional, state and local government agencies with the use and interpretation of data to improve injury prevention activities.

Concussion: Do you know the signs and symptoms of Concussion? Click here.

EMS for Children Program of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services, Department of Health

Florida Safe Kids Resources
Local Coalitions and Chapters
Safe Kids Florida Advisory Council
Safe Kids Worldwide
Trends in Accidental Injury-Related Deaths in Children

Gang Violence is increasing throughout Florida. The information at the link below provides website resources for trauma center staff to independently broaden their knowledge base pertaining to the increase in gang violence throughout the state of Florida. This informational tool provides credible resources that are easily and efficiently accessible. Click on the link below to view the informational tool.
Gang Violence Informational Tool

A Guide to Safety Counseling in Office Practice, published by the Injury Prevention Program of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of the American Public Health Association, formed in 1972, addresses violence, unintentional injuries, and all types of emergency public health for persons of all ages.

International Traffic Medicine Association was founded in 1960 as the International Association for Accident and Traffic Medicine. The ITMA works to promote and develop the study of traffic medicine in all transport modes.

Gang Violence: CDC Study Identifies Factors associated with Youth Gang Affiliation that have Potential Prevention Implications

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces a new study on gang affiliation - and the risk and protective factors associated with it.

The results are useful for prevention planning. The study, "Risk and Protective Factors associated with Gang Affiliation among High-Risk Youth: A Public Health Approach" appears in the January 11, 2012 online edition of Injury Prevention.

The study found an estimated 7% of youths were gang affiliated. But the percentage of youth who reported gang affiliation varied, depending on the number of protective influences, such as parental monitoring and a youth's ability to cope with conflict.

Other key findings in the report include:

• Gang affiliation was positively associated with engaging in any delinquent behaviors and frequent alcohol or drug use. Gang affiliation was negatively associated with moderate to high levels of parental monitoring and coping skills.
• Those youths with four or more risk factors were nearly six times more likely to be gang affiliated than those with zero to one risk factor. The odds of gang affiliation were significantly higher as youth accumulated two or more risk factors.
• Youth who reported experiencing 5 or more protective factors were significantly less likely to report gang affiliation than those who reported 0-3.
• For youth who live in high-risk communities, eliminating all potential risks for gang affiliation may be difficult. This research shows the potential value in increasing just a few key protective factors to help prevent youth from joining gangs.

To Learn More:

• CDC's Division of Violence Prevention: www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention
• CDC's Youth Violence Prevention Work: www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence
• Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/vetoviolence
• Injury Prevention: http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/

View an electronic copy of this report at http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/early/2012/01/04/injuryprev-2011-040083.full.

Motorcycle Safety - Helmets Save Lives

CDC's Injury Center is committed to keeping people safe on the road. With more people in the United States riding motorcycles today than ever before, motorcycle deaths and injuries are an important public health concern and economic liability. Not only did motorcycle crashes kill nearly 5,300 people in 2008, but the number of deaths from these crashes increased every single year between 1997 and 2008.

CDC's new publication Motorcycle Safety: How to Save Lives and Save Money (Motorcycle Safety Guide) is now available. The Guide is designed to provide policy makers and members of the traffic safety and public health communities with evidence-based motorcycle safety information in an easy-to-use format. The Guide provides key details on:

• the public health significance of motorcycle crashes,
• the best way to protect motorcycle riders,
• state-by-state data on motorcycle-related deaths and economic costs, and
• what you can do to increase motorcycle safety.

Working together, we can help keep more people safe on the road-every day.

Learn More:

• Motorcycle Safety: Helmets Save Lives
• Motorcycle Crash-Related Data

Teen Driving: For Parents of Teen Drivers -- I Pledge -- A New 60-second Video

CDC has a 60-second video as part of the Parents Are the Key campaign for safe teen driving.

The new I Pledge video shows a number of moms and dads pledging to protect their teen drivers—the same way they pledged to keep them safe since the day they were born.

Watch the new video and share it with others to help spread the word.

• Parents Are the Key to Safe Teen Drivers
• Parents Are the Key - Facebook page
• I Pledge Video
• CDC-TV Video: Parents Are the Key
• Teen Drivers: Facts

Youth Violence: STRYVE to Prevent Youth Violence

Youth violence is preventable. Learn how STRYVE helps communities build comprehensive strategies that are based on the best available evidence and implemented through multisector action.

STRYVE, or Striving To Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere, is a national initiative led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent youth violence before it starts.

STRYVE provides community tools through mechanisms such as STRYVE Online. STRYVE Online offers community leaders and others working to prevent youth violence

• Effective strategies based upon the best available evidence;
• Training and technical assistance;
• Online community workspaces; and
• Connections to other communities.

More Information:

• STRYVE to Prevent Youth Violence
• STRYVE Online
• Violence Prevention

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

For more information:
Email: Office of Trauma
Write to:
Florida Department of Health
Division of Emergency Medical Operations
Office of Trauma
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin C-18
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1738

Phone: (850) 245-4440
Fax: (850) 488-2512

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