Southeast Utah Public Health Department

The Southeastern Utah District Health Department has an extensive Injury Prevention Program. The focus of this program is to increase knowledge and prevention efforts to reduce injury (both intentional and unintentional), disability, death, and costs associated with injuries. The health department believes injuries are not just random acts or perchance happenings. They aren't just "bad luck", "fate", or "destiny". Injuries are caused by something or someone in the environment. Some of our injury prevention goals are:

• To ensure residents live in a safe, healthy, environment
• To help residents choose healthy and safe behaviors
• To help children succeed in school and prepare for the workforce by providing injury related presentations and activities
• To increase safety awareness for seniors
• Increase the use of bike helmets
• Ensure that all infant car seats are installed and used correctly
• Help prevent falls amoung the elderly
• Include parents, church groups, law enforcement, community leaders, and others

How are injuries prevented? Information! With information comes knowledge, awareness, and caution. These are the keys necessary to prevent injury. Information gives the options for prevention.

Injury is the leading cause of death for children, teenagers, and young adults. Falls are the leading cause of death in the elderly population. Last year in the United States, there were:

• 43,591 deaths from motor-vehicle crashes
• 4,724 deaths from drownings
• 12,555 deaths from falls
• 17,692 deaths from poisonings
• 30,535 deaths from suicide
• 19,491 deaths from homicide

The following chart shows how Carbon, Emery, San Juan and Grand Counties injury deaths compare with the rest of the state: