To the editor,
Every year, nearly 150,000 people die from injuries, and almost 30 million people are injured seriously enough to go to the emergency room. Chances are good that you or someone you know are among these statistics -- a friend who suffered a fatal injury from a car crash, an elderly family member who broke a bone from a fall or a co-worker harmed on the job site.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 30% of potential years of life are lost because of injuries that could have been prevented. What's more, traffic injuries alone result in more than $200 billion in annual U.S. health expenditures. Overall, injuries account for 12% of medical care spending, totaling as much as $69 billion per year.
We are met with a real and growing public health problem. If we fail to address the issues related to injury and violence, the toll -- measured in lives lost and health care dollars spent -- is only going to get worse in the years to come.
Fortunately, we know that virtually all injuries can be prevented. If everyone wore a seatbelt, properly installed and used child safety seats, wore a helmet when cycling and stored cleaning supplies in locked cabinets, we could dramatically reduce the burden of leading injuries in this country and save lives.
For example, two-thirds of children killed by bicycle-related injuries could have been saved by wearing a helmet. Helmets reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%.
Of course, we can't make significant improvements unless all of us play a part in creating a safer community.
That means everyone needs to take small steps to improve their own safety and that of their family, loved ones and friends. Injury and violence create a huge amount of suffering and financial burden on society. It is time we shift our paradigm from just assuming injuries are accidents and start being proactive about preventing them.
This week, Bartow County Public Health is encouraging all Bartow County residents to work together to make our county safer and injury-free. From April 4-10, we're recognizing National Public Health Week, an opportunity to empower our family, friends, neighbors, and perhaps most importantly, ourselves to live safer lives.
Join me and my colleagues in working to make Bartow County a healthier, safer place to live, work and raise a family. Take a moment and make just one positive change a day that could prevent an injury. These seemingly small actions can have a big impact when they're spread throughout an entire family, community and nation.
Increasing awareness on how to live safer and injury-free lives is the first step in helping us create a healthier county -- but there is more you can do beyond taking these actions. Raise awareness of safety and injury prevention within our community during National Public Health Week. Our community will be safer, healthier and happier as a result.
Cathy Green
Nurse Manager
Bartow County Health Department
Public Information Officer
Northwest Georgia Public Health
hlboss@dhr.state.ga.us
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