SAFETY AND INJURY PREVENTION
Injuries are a significant public health problem in Dane County, Wisconsin and the nation causing needless pain and suffering as well as emotional and financial stress. Injuries are among the top five leading causes of all deaths for Dane County residents and the leading cause of death and hospitalization among those aged. The five leading causes of injury deaths in Dane County are motor vehicle crashes, falls, poisoning, suffocation and firearms.
Injuries are predictable and preventable and should not be considered "accidents". Public Health - Madison and Dane County determines how and why injuries occur and then employs strategies at multiple levels to prevent injuries from occurring. It looks at changing individual and community behavior, eliminating environmental hazards and unsafe products, and implementing policy change.
Injury prevention education is integrated in public health services provided to families and children. In addition, Public Health Madison and Dane County partners with other organizations to develop and implement evidence-based approaches to reduce injuries. The primary community partners are Safe Communities and Madison Area Safe Kids Coalition.
Public Health collaborative injury prevention activities include
Work around developing school traffic safety plans to improve pedestrian safety around schools has taken place in collaboration with school districts, individual schools, Safe Kids Coalition and Safe Communities. For further assistance with developing and implementing a school traffic safety plan, see Steps for Developing a School Traffic Safety Plan. See Dane County School Traffic Plans to view brochures already developed.
Collaboration with local neighborhoods/communities and other partners to reduce environmental barriers in neighborhoods to increase safe walking and biking opportunities. Neighborhood Safe Walking Route brochures have been created for South Madison, Carpenter-Ridgeway, and Hiestand neighborhoods.
Collaboration with multiple community partners in safety and injury prevention awareness events, including Safety Saturday on the Capitol Square and Safety Sunday at the Children's Museum.
Collaboration with the Madison Area Safe Kids Coalition and the American Family Children's Hospital Kohl's Safety Center to:
- provide child passenger safety education and assistance with car seat installation to all families and provide car seat resources to WIC participants in need, on a limited basis, through a grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program.
- provide safe cribs and sleep safety education for Public Health Perinatal Program families
- provide families of young children with education and information, including Safe Nursery Fact Sheets on preventing injuries to children 5 and under through the Safe Nursery Action Group.
- provide coordination, technical assistance and resources to local schools for Walk Our Children to School.
Collaboration with
Safe Communities on:
- Falls Prevention Task Force, which has the goal of reducing falls related hospitalizations and emergency visits among the elderly by 10% over 3 years.
- Suicide Prevention Task Force, which works to develop awareness of suicide as a serious, but preventable public health problems and develop support for community-based suicide prevention efforts.
- Pedestrian safety initiatives. Evaluation of traffic safety initiatives, including:
