MEDIA CONTACT
Olga Dack, Office of Communications, (402) 840-0711,
olga.dack@nebraska.gov
Lincoln – November 18th is National Injury Prevention Day, a day designed to bring awareness about the burden of preventable injuries and ways to reduce them. Unintentional injury is the fourth leading cause of death for Nebraskans. Motor vehicle accidents, poisonings, and falls are the leading causes of unintentional injury-related deaths.
In 2019, over 10,000 injuries resulted in hospitalizations in Nebraska. Falls were the leading cause, with over 5,800 individuals. The second leading cause was traumatic brain injuries (TBI) with over 1,600 individuals hurt. The third leading cause was motor vehicle crashes, which resulted in over 1,100 individuals hurt. In addition, over 126,000 emergency department visits took place due to injury-related causes.
The Nebraska Injury Prevention Program aims to decrease injury-related morbidity and mortality and to implement injury prevention programs and practices. The program works with a number of stakeholders and partners to develop evidence-based strategies, create and distribute publications, share research and data, and evaluate performance of injury prevention practices. Some of the evidence-based strategies being implemented by the program and its partners include:
- Older Adult Fall Prevention
- Motor Vehicle Safety for Adults, Teens and Children
- Prescription Drug Overdose prevention and awareness
- Concussion Prevention: Return to Learn and Return to Play
- Safe Kids Nebraska Local Coalitions unintentional injury prevention programming for children
Additional resources to prevent injuries in Nebraska can be found at:
https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Injury-Prevention.aspx
https://drivesmartne.org/
https://www.safekidsnebraska.org/
Injury prevention could save thousands of Nebraskans' lives. Show your support and Shine a Green Light on National Injury Prevention Day, November 18, 2021.
More information on how to participate and bring about awareness can be found on the Injury Free Coalition website at: https://injuryfree.org/.