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Injury Prevention in the News
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Prescription pain killer addiction
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports half of all fatal opioid overdoses involve a prescription. For every opioid overdose death, experts estimate nearly 130 people abuse or have a dependency on these drugs. Hear more from physicians on the role they and patients play in this epidemic on
KGIN.
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Help Us STOP Sexual Violence
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The CDC has released a new program aimed at preventing sexual violence. The program is titled STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence.
- About 1 in 5 women have experienced rape or attempted rape. About 1 in 15 men have been made to penetrate someone else.
- Sexual violence prevention is possible. Decades of research have taught us what works to prevent it.
- CDC released STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence to help states and communities prioritize efforts to prevent sexual violence.
An infographic can be found
here.
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Child Passenger Safety Technician Training in Nebraska
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It is time for school to start again. The National Safety Council offers a wide variety of back to school safety tips from school bus safety to back pack safety. To access these great resources, visit the National Safety Council's website.
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It is that time of the year again. Those yellow No. 2 pencils are freshly sharpened, folders with the edges still crisp and tidy are placed in newly purchased backpacks; the kids are going back to school. Many of these children will be walking to school. Did you know that unintentional pedestrian injuries is the fifth leading cause of injury related death for children ages 5 to 19 in the US? Today, teens face a higher risk of injury and account for half of all child pedestrian deaths. Here are a few tips on how you can keep kids safe as they begrudgingly walk to school.
School Bus Safety
As we begin the school year one of the most popular modes of transportation for students is the school bus. Not only is the school bus a popular mode of transportation, it is also the safest way to get kids to and from school. However, injuries can occur when students are getting on or off the bus. Take a moment to read through a few school bus safety tips for both kids and drivers.
Want more tips about how to keep your kids safe on or around school buses? Read more from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
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The new school year is upon us and we are looking for schools that want to make a difference in their community and save teen driver lives. The Teens in the Driver Seat program is available to Nebraska schools passionate about keeping teens safe at the wheel.
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Teens in the Driver Seat® is a teen peer-to-peer education that focuses solely on the five major risks to teen drivers: alcohol, driving at night/fatigue, speeding/racing, distractions (cell phone use, texting, and passengers) and not wearing a seat belt. Teens, along with a sponsor, help shape the program and are responsible for implementing it.
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Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: How is the US doing?
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new Vital Signs report comparing the United States to other developed countries on motor vehicle related deaths. The report and downloadable materials can be found on the
CDC Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths website.
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What Conditions Make You More Likely to Fall?
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Research has identified many conditions that contribute to falling. These are called risk factors. Many risk factors can be changed or modified to help prevent falls. They include:
- Lower body weakness
- Vitamin D deficiency (that is, not enough vitamin D in your system)
- Difficulties with walking and balance
- Use of medicines, such as tranquilizers, sedatives, or antidepressants. Even some over-the-counter medicines can affect balance and how steady you are on your feet.
- Vision problems
- Foot pain or poor footwear
- Home hazards or dangers such as
- broken or uneven steps,
- throw rugs or clutter that can be tripped over, and
- no handrails along stairs or in the bathroom.
Most falls are caused by a combination of risk factors. The more risk factors a person has, the greater their chances of falling.
Healthcare providers can help cut down a person’s risk by reducing the fall risk factors listed above.
For more information on fall prevention, visit the CDC website.
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More Children Are Suffering Traumatic Brain Injuries at the Playground, Study Says
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Research from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the CDC has found a there is a substantial gap in how the United States estimates pediatric concussions. The study found that four in five children were diagnosed at a primary care practice, not the emergency room. It also found that one third of the diagnosed concussions occurred in children under age 12; this population is missed by existing surveillance systems that focus on high school athletes.
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Currently many counts of concussion injury are based on emergency department visits or organized high school and college athletics data.
The press release is available
here.
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Infographic: Preventing Concussions in Sports
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Ohio University has compiled an infographic to help make sense of concussion prevention in sports. The infographic includes general information about concussion, facts about both adult and child athletes, technology in concussion prevention, tools, and more. It can be viewed online
here.
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Prescription Drug Overdose
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New Injury Prevention Staff
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Felicia Quintana-Zinn, Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Epidemiologist, was born and raised in a small farming/ranching community outside of Phoenix, Arizona and has since been able to call Massachusetts, Georgia and now Nebraska home. She is married and expecting their first child late this fall. Felicia attended the University of Arizona and received a B.S. in Microbiology and spent 7 years working in labs during high school and college. After graduation she worked in business and finance for over 6 years and decided it was time to return to her passion of science/math and attended the University of Massachusetts for an M.S. in Epidemiology. During her time at UMASS, she worked for the Center of Health Promotion in a brief alcohol and drug intervention program for college students. Felicia was able to work directly with students on their alcohol and illicit drug usage on a daily basis with an emphasis on prevention and risk reduction. She is excited to be able to use her experience in prevention and to help with the efforts of the prescription drug overdose prevention program in Nebraska.
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Nebraska is working hard to prevent prescription drug overdoses by implementing evidence based methods proven to be effective. The Nebraska PDMP enhancement efforts are underway and will be gaining momentum as we approach the January 1, 2017 date of using the enhanced PDMP system. A new logo has been developed to demonstrate the collaborative efforts of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Nebraska Health Information Initiative (NeHII). Other efforts include working to develop statewide pain management guidelines when prescribing opioids for chronic pain. For more information about the prescription drug prevention efforts, feel free to contact Amy Reynoldson at
amy.reynoldson@nebraska.gov or 402-471-0835.
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Opioids Linked with Deaths other than Overdoses
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A new study suggests opioids may also contribute to heart-related deaths and other fatalities. The study followed patients given prescription medicine for chronic pain. The study compared patients on other types of painkillers with those on long-acting opioids. Among more than 45,000 patients, those on opioids had a 64% higher risk of dying within 6 months of starting treatment compared to patients using types of other painkillers.
The article can be found
here.
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Bike Rodeos Offer Opportunities for Trauma Prevention & Education
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Millions of Americans ride bicycles each year and bicycling is a fun summertime activity for people of all ages, but did you know that less than half of the cyclists wear helmets? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2010, 800 bicyclists were killed and an estimated 515,000 additional injuries required emergency room care. Nearly 26,000 of these injuries are traumatic brain injuries in children and adolescents. Wearing a properly fitting helmet reduces the chance of head injuries in bicycle accidents, however, not everyone wants to wear one. Bike rodeos are a popular summertime injury prevention project to educate bicyclists and prevent bicycle injuries. Events like bicycle rodeos can be hard to plan without some basic knowledge of biking and what resources are available. “
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Safe Kids Nebraska” and “Safe Kids Worldwide,” (2016) are excellent resources for those who are considering planning a bicycling event. In addition to information on how to hold an event, collaborating with community partners is an excellent way to make your event successful. Here is a list of trauma prevention and education opportunities, offered at a recent bicycle rodeo in Nebraska:
- Free bike registrations
- Helmet fit testing and free helmet give away
- Fingerprinting and identification cards for children
- Bike safety checks
- Bike course safety-rules of the road
- Educational handouts on proper helmet wear/ fitting, street safety, bike/ pedestrian injuries, MVC, car seat safety
- Appearances from helicopter and ambulance services as well as local and state police
- Car seat checks station
- Bike raffle to attract community participation
Bike rodeos are fun, informative and a great event to educate your community on how to prevent bicycle injuries. For additional information or questions, please contact Crystal Dailey RN, BSN, EMT @ crystal.dailey@nebraska.gov or 402-722-4300. .
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Safety Observances
National Stop on Red Week
August 2016
August 31, 2016
August through September 5, 2016
September 5-11, 2016
September 22, 2016
October, 2016
October, 2016
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Peg Ogea-Ginsburg, MA
Injury Prevention Program Coordinator
Jason Kerkman, MPH
Safe Kids Nebraska Coordinator
Amy Reynoldson
Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Coordinator
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Jeanne Bietz, MA Motor Vehicle Policy Grant Project Coordinator jeanne.bietz@nebraska.gov
Ashley Newmyer, MPH, CPH
Epidemiology Surveillance Coordinator
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Injury Prevention and Control E-News is a monthly newsletter distributed to partners of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Injury Prevention and Control Program.
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Email DHHS.injury@nebraska.gov with any suggestions or feedback.
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