Nebraska Injury Prevention and Control News
    Issue #67                                                    February 2017
Injury Prevention in the News
   CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report  

The CDC released a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on the state-level economic burdens of injuries. The report provides the numbers and rates of fatal injuries, lifetime (medical and work-loss) costs, and lifetime costs per capita for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) and for unintentional injuries and violence, including suicide and homicide.  It also highlights the states with the highest and lowest lifetime costs per capita

To read the report click here
State of the States Key Findings

The State of the States report has been released, and the full report and highlights are available. To read the full text, or key findings and highlights click here
Upcoming Events
  Save a Life Tour

The Safe a Life Tour will be coming to Nebraska in February 2017. The Tour is a high-impact Safe Driving Awareness Program. Beginning with a thought provoking video, the program jumps into a live presentation full of personal stories including the loss of loved ones. The event then brings mass crowd participation to the driver’s seat of  highly advanced driving simulators. The program will be done at Blair, Plattsmouth, Nebraska City, Norris and Beatrice high schools. For more information, contact the NDOR Highway Safety Office at 402-471-2515.

    Nebraska Highway Safety Conference  

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Innovation Campus

For more information, contact Sim Reynolds at simera.reynolds@nebraska.gov
Safe Kids Nebraska
2017 Child Passenger Safety Trainings
Are you interested in helping parents and care givers of children with their car seats? If you are, then sign up for one of the child passenger safety technician courses listed below. Space is limited to 20 participants per class. Visit the National CPS certification website to  find out more about what a CPS does.   

Save The Date
 
Nebraska Child Passenger Safety Technician Update/Training

Wednesday, April 19, 2017
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nebraska Innovation Campus
2021 Transformation Dr. Lincoln, NE 68508
Nebraska Has a New Carbon Monoxide Alarm Law
A new law went into effect on January 1, 2017. It requires Nebraska homes to have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in all new and existing single family and multi-family homes upon sale, transfer, or change of tenant. Homeowners who make structural changes to their homes are also required to install alarms.  Read this FAQ to find out more. 
Motor Vehicle Safety

Vision Zero: a toolkit for road safety in the modern era

Vision Zero (VZ) is a public program that aims to have zero fatalities or serious injuries from road traffic crashes. This article examines various major components of VZ: how VZ redefines road safety, how VZ principles and philosophies can be applied to modern car and road designs, and how VZ can be applied to traffic. Applications of these principles to real-world traffic infrastructure are explored in order to show policymakers the toolkits available to increase road safety while taking into consideration local contexts.

To read the review of the article click  here

#whatsyourexcuse Campaign Materials

In partnership with Friedman Law and the Drive Smart Nebraska Coalition, the #whatsyourexcuese? campaign was developed. With distracted driving being a major contributor to motor vehicle crashes and deaths, this campaign works to address the excuses people use for driving distracted.

If your organization or community is interested in these free materials, please contact Jeanne Bietz at 402-471-0361 or Jeanne.bietz@nebraska.gov.






Public Health Strategies for Motor Vehicle Safety
The  Public Health Strategies for Motor Vehicle Safety guides summarize evidence-based findings and recommendations addressing programs, services, and policies from research studies and national traffic safety organizations.
 
These guides are designed to act as a resource for those interested in traffic safety. Implementing these evidence-based strategies will help achieve the goal of Toward Zero Deaths in Nebraska. The topics currently covered are child passenger safety, teen driver safety, seat belt use, motorcycle safety and distracted driving.

Older Adult Falls

Stepping On and
Tai chi: Moving for Better Balance Fall Prevention Program Videos


Every 13 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall. One in three Americans aged 65+ falls each year. Every 20 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall. Falls in adults aged 65+ are the leading cause of head injuries and broken hips.

Stepping On and Tai chi: Moving for Better Balance programs have been proven to help older adults reduce their risk of falling.  The aim of these programs is to strengthen balance and gait, increase muscle strength, and improve coordination and flexibility. 

Stepping On aims to break that cycle, engaging people in a range of relevant falls prevention strategies. Tai chi: Moving for Better Balance is an evidence-based falls prevention program delivered in two one-hour sessions each week for 24 weeks. Each session consists of warm-up exercises; core practices, which include a mix of practice of forms, variations of forms, and mini-therapeutic movements; and brief cool-down exercises.

View 2 of the newly created videos about these falls prevention programs below, and watch the rest here
The Nebraska Injury Prevention Program is working with several local partners to implement Tai Chi Moving for Better Balance and Stepping On.  Both of these are evidence based programs that work to prevent falls among older adults.  Both programs are being implemented in the areas served by South Heartland District Health Department, Public Health Solutions District Health Department, Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department, Four Corners Health Department, and Aging Partners.  Stepping On is also being implemented by the Scotts Bluff County Health Department. These agencies work with community partners to host classes in their communities to reach community-dwelling older adults.  The Injury Prevention Program works with the sites to maintain fidelity to the evidence-based programs and provides technical assistance and training.




Concussion
  New "Ask the Expert" activity on the CDC HEADS UP Facebook Page

Have you ever wanted to ask CDC’s experts a question about concussion and brain injury among kids and teens? Well, now you can! CDC’s new HEADS UP Facebook "Ask the Expert" activity allows CDC’s top subject matter experts to connect with fans by encouraging them to be active on the Facebook page by posing their questions to CDC experts.
Concussions in Youth Soccer: Current Guidelines and Research

Following the settlement of a class-action lawsuit in November 2015, U.S. Soccer instituted an initiative to improve concussion awareness and management. As part of the initiative, youth players under 10 years of age are not allowed to head the ball and those 11-13 years of age are limited to 15-20 headers per week. These guidelines were implemented to reduce overall head impact exposure and keep athletes out of situations which make them vulnerable to head injury, such as unintentional head impacts with other players that may occur when attempting a header.

What Parents Should Know:

  • Know your child. If your child does not feel comfortable heading the soccer ball, then he/she should not be doing it.
  • Technique, technique, technique. Before allowing your child to begin heading a soccer ball, make sure that they can do so safely.
  • Be aware of all the signs and symptoms of concussion. There is no evidence that a concussion, if managed properly by a medical professional, will result in long-term neurological deficits.

To read the full article and research, click here.
Prescription Drug Overdose
Continued Progress

Comprehensive opioid prevention efforts continue to progress with the support of many stakeholders across the state.  The enhanced Nebraska Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) went live January 1, 2017.  If you would like to learn more about the Nebraska PDMP, please visit our website at www.dhhs.ne.gov/pdmp.  
Increases in Drug and Opioid-Involved 
A new CDC report on opioid overdose deaths by opioid drug category, demographics, and state. The publication shows the trends of use from 2010-2015.


Trauma

Sledding Injuries and Prevention

In the heart of winter, sledding becomes a fun family attraction.  Did you know, that while sledding can be a fun activity for all ages, it can cause a lot of harm?  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that in 2014 there were close to 52,000 sledding, snow tubing, and tobogganing related injuries treated in emergency departments, doctor’s offices, and clinics.  According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, that is 2 billion dollars’ worth of monetary loss.  Unfortunately, the large majority of these injuries could have been prevented. Preventing these injuries should be a priority for our trauma programs and for members of our community. How do we prevent these injuries?  Organizations such as Safe Kids World Wide http://www.safekids.org/blog/have-winning-winter-season-these-cold-weather-sports-safety-tips ) and the American Academy of Pediatrics https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Sledding-Safety.aspx ) have a few suggestions.  Follow the links for more information on how to help prevent our patients from spending more time in the emergency department, and spending more time with their families, having fun.  For questions or more winter trauma prevention ideas contact Crystal Dailey RN, DHHS Trauma Nurse Specialist, 402-722-4300 or crystal.dailey@nebraska.gov      


  The Nebraska Statewide Trauma System wants to prevent you from becoming a statistic of motor vehicle crashes.  Be smart and do your part to be a responsible driver this holiday season.  For more information about the Nebraska Statewide Trauma System or for questions please contact: Crystal Dailey RN, BSN, Trauma Nurse Specialist, DHHS EMS/Trauma Program at crystal.dailey@nebraska.gov or 402-722-4300.  
Quick Links
Contact Information

Peg Ogea-Ginsburg, MA                  
Injury Prevention Program Coordinator   


Jason Kerkman, MPH 
Safe Kids Nebraska Coordinator 


Amy Reynoldson
Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Coordinator


Jeanne Bietz, MA                                             Motor Vehicle Policy Grant Project Coordinator  jeanne.bietz@nebraska.gov


Ashley Newmyer, MPH, CPH
Epidemiology Surveillance Coordinator

Felicia Quintana-Zinn, MS, MBA
Prescription Drug Overdose Prevention Epidemiologist
Felicia.Quintana-Zinn@nebraska.gov
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.