Abstract

Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in New York State (NYS) United States. Annually in NYS between 2005 and 2007, an average of 633 children aged 0–19 years died due to an injury, an average of 18 478 children were hospitalised ($325M US dollars, annually in hospital charges) and an average of 483 633 were treated and released from an emergency department ($400M US dollars annually in charges). The 2008 WHO and CDC reports described the problem of child injuries. In response to this growing public health problem, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) Bureau of Injury Prevention initiated a Child Injury and Violence Prevention Campaign to strengthen the capacity of communities to conduct evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention programs. As nearly 75% of North Americans access the Internet, on-line fact sheets with data and prevention tips for providers and parents, as well as toolkits for communities will be posted on the NYSDOH website and distributed statewide. A March 2010 Child Injury Prevention Symposium will be held for injury prevention practitioners. The symposium will include presentations on the problem of child injury and violence in NYS, evidence-based prevention strategies, a community advocate presentation on how to educate decision makers in passing child injury prevention policies, and toolkit demonstrations on fall and fire prevention, bicycle safety and shaken baby syndrome prevention. In June 2010, a follow-up Child Injury Prevention Policy Symposium will be held to educate practitioners on effective advocacy strategies and tools for promoting child injury and violence prevention policies.