National Injury Prevention Day, observed annually on Nov. 18, is dedicated to raising awareness on preventing injuries and violence—the leading cause of death and hospitalization for people ages 1 to 44. The goal is to reduce the occurrence of preventable injuries and improve safety across all aspects of life.
From home accidents to road safety, sports injuries and workplace hazards, injuries affect millions of people every year, often leading to long-term health problems, disabilities and even death.
National Injury Prevention Day emphasizes the importance of taking small yet impactful steps in everyday life, such as wearing seat belts, using helmets, installing safety equipment at home and promoting physical fitness to reduce falls and accidents. The day serves as a reminder that many injuries are avoidable with the right knowledge, preparation and caution.
In observance, staff at all four campuses wore green on Nov. 18. But UTMB's commitment to injury prevention in the community goes deeper than just that.
As UTMB's dedicated injury prevention specialist in Trauma Services, Adam Peterson uses injury data, studies and reports out of the Trauma Registry to identify community needs and develop effective, data-driven prevention strategies.
"With this role, I go out into the community to raise awareness and do education about the potential dangers to prevent injuries," Peterson said. "We identify our top mechanisms of injuries—why people come in to the hospital—and create injury prevention programs to address those issues."
For example, he said, one of the needs in Galveston is to address the high occurrence of impaired driving. Through the “Is It Worth It?” program, he goes to high schools and colleges to educate students about the dangers of drinking and drugged driving—especially important with the area being a destination for tourism that sees high numbers of motor vehicle accidents where the driver is impaired.
By highlighting the importance of injury prevention, National Injury Prevention Day encourages everyone to be proactive in safeguarding their well-being and the well-being of others and, ultimately, the well-being of the community.
"I’m from this area and want the best for this community," Peterson said. "So being in this role has been a true honor being able to take this education and promote safety to the individuals in this community."