""Safe and Secure: Safety Is a Choice, Prevention is Key""

The ATS reminds our members that with the current COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing is strongly encouraged. NTAM promotions and educational events should be conducted through social media and virtually. In-person events should not be held until further notice.

National Trauma Awareness Month 2021
Once again, the American Trauma Society (ATS) and The Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) have come together in the development of the annual National Trauma Awareness Month (NTAM) campaign. With a global pandemic on our doorsteps the theme “Safe and Secure: Safety is a Choice, Prevention is Key “ is both timely and appropriate for our trauma centers to promote. Injury Prevention professionals from throughout nation have seen a rise in injuries related to the ways we have been living our lives during a pandemic. Raising awareness and supporting prevention efforts in this new way of living, working, and playing is more important now than ever.  We need to be Safe and Secure in all that we do.

Did You Know?
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of the COVID-19 virus a global Pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention emphasized the most effective way to quell the spread of the virus was to take and sustain preventative measures such as wearing a mask, quarantining, maintaining safe distancing and handwashing. Millions of homes were turned into workplaces, children went to school remotely if they did at all, summer vacations shifted away from the traditions of the past, and travel by car increased As of mid-February, 2021, there were over 27 million reported cases of COVID and 2.4 million deaths from COVID globally.  Aggressive and sustained adherence to preventative measure may have avoided much of the spread of the virus. Prevention is the key in the slowing of the spread of the virus. 

Prevention is also a key ingredient in reducing Injury. Injury is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 to 44 years old representing 59 percent of all death in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (SDC), each year, approximately 214,000 people die from unintentional and violence related injury. The number of those that are injured and survive range into the millions. The impact of Injury can have long reaching effects such as lifelong disability, mental health disorders and cause financial instability.

The Economic Impact of Injury
The most recent estimates for lifetime medical and work loss cost of injuries and violence in the United States is about $1059 billion dollars (National Safety Council, 2018). The cost associated with fatal injuries was $214 billion while nonfatal injuries accounted for $457 billion (CDC, 2013).

Common Causes of Injury and Death
According to The National Safety Council (NSC) and CDC in 2018 the top 3 leading causes of preventable death, in ranking order, were motor vehicle crashes, falls and suffocation. The top 3 leading causes of non-fatal preventable injuries treated in emergency departments in ranking order from one to three were falls, struck by or against and overexertion.

Most Common Place of Occurrence
Home may be “where the heart is” as the saying goes, but it is also the most common place where injuries occur, both inside and outside of the home perimeter. The second and third most common places of occurrence respectively are recreation areas and streets / highways (MMW, 2016)

Prevention and Intervention
Most injuries are preventable. Choosing to be aware of one’s environment as well as staying informed on the latest safety facts is a great place to start with establishing a culture of safety in and out of the home or workplace. Following the rules of the road, safe-play and wearing appropriate safety gear are all essential in reducing preventable injuries.

How can we prevent injuries in different aspects of life?
Visit the resources developed by a committee of volunteers from the American Trauma Society (ATS) and the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN). The key areas of concerns related to distractions for your injury prevention team include:

• Home and Remote Work- Life
• Outdoors and Recreation
• Work and Transportation
• Self-Care

Remember this: Safety Is a Choice, Prevention Is Key.

References

• CDC WISQARS, https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/cost/index.html. Retrieved 12/21/20
• Johns Hopkins Corona Virus Resource Center, https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map, Retrieved 02/18/2021
• MMWR, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6503a10.htm. Retrieved 12/21/20
• National safety Council, https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/costs/societal-costs/ Retrieved 12/21/20
• Download the 2020 National Trauma Awareness Month logo here.

We also encourage trauma centers to have a Trauma Survivors Day to reunite patients and families who have been served by the trauma center. Visit the TSN web site for the materials to plan the celebration. Click on “Get Involved”, and then National Trauma Survivors Day.

We urge you to start planning activities and make this year’s celebration the best one yet!

If you have materials that you would like included in these resources, please contact ATS Member Services at 1-800-556-7890 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Trauma Awareness / Trauma Survivors Day (Wednesday, May 19th)
• Tool Kit for Trauma Awareness Ceremony
• Trauma Awareness Ceremony Checklist
• Trauma Awareness Generic Ceremony Brochure
• Trauma Nurse Excellence Award Letter
• Sample Flyer
• How to Invite and Host Legislators or Policymakers
• How to Participate in Trauma Survivors Day

"Distracted to Death: Pay Attention or Pay the Price"

Injury and violence prevention have been a core value of the American Trauma Society (ATS) since we were founded in 1968. As an integral part of our mission, the ATS continues to be a national leader in preventing death and disability from traumatic injuries. These efforts continue to drive the organization's activities, resource development, and advocacy.  

The American Trauma Society was instrumental in having May of each year designated as National Trauma Awareness Month (NTAM) by President Ronald Reagan and Congress in 1988. Since then, ATS has worked with other trauma organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC), USSG, SafeKids, National Safety Council, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) to develop injury prevention and trauma awareness materials for use by our members in their communities. Each year, the ATS works with its partners to designate a new focus for injury and violence prevention and awareness during National Trauma Awareness Month. 

This year’s focus is "Distracted to Death: Pay Attention or Pay the Price."

Trauma is predictable and preventable, but what does that actually mean to us? Can we really do things that can change our risk of injury? If we can, what are examples of what is preventable? How can I implement in these practices into my daily life to keep myself and others safer?

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Think: 

Have you ever gotten in the car and driven to work when you were supposed to go to the store? How about forgetting the bank on the way home even with the checks sitting right there to remind you? We are all busier than ever, with multiple thoughts running through our minds at once and it is easy to lose our train of thought consistently. Add many devices and outside influences that distract us and it is easy to understand how one can be injured by this lack of attention.

Is lack of attention a distraction? “When people are distracted, they are not paying attention and fail to see the hazards, which can lead to injuries” (Morrison, 2013). Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for our youngest citizens and time and time again we see that the injury could have been prevented if the person had been paying better attention.

So, what is a distraction? Our thoughts jump immediately to our phones, including:

• Texting while driving
• Texting while walking
• Just the phone itself

You may be checking to see if someone important called or texted, but taking your eyes off the task at hand for up to three seconds is a distraction and can lead to an error in the workplace. This could cause a mistake, an injury, or even death. A few seconds focused on screen instead of your family, coworkers, or the road can be catastrophic. Our electronic devices are undeniably a distraction, but what about complacency?  

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Think Again:

Distractions involve more than just cell phones. The multitasking brain can get in the way. Distractions pose a threat when someone forgets a child in the car, leaves the gate left open to a pool area, takes their eyes off the child in the bathtub, misses the crosswalk and signal as a pedestrian, or leaves their bag on a hot stovetop. We are all at risk in every part of our lives.

National Trauma Awareness Month (NTAM) isn’t to remind you that trauma happens—we all know that. It is to offer an opportunity to reflect on how to keep ourselves, our families, our work force, and our communities safer by recognizing these distractions and helping to prevent injuries and deaths. It is an opportunity to look globally at how people are injured and work in the public health model to make impactful and meaningful changes.

Visit the resources developed by a committee of volunteers from the American Trauma Society (ATS) and the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN). The key areas of concerns related to distractions for your injury prevention team include:

• Home/Lifestyle
• Travel
• Workplace

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References:

Morrison, K. (2013). Distracted on the job. Safety and Health. Retrieved from https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/distracted-on-the-job

https://lifehacker.com/research-shows-how-much-a-three-second-distraction-can-5974976

Download the 2020 National Trauma Awareness Month logo here.

We also encourage trauma centers to have a Trauma Survivors Day to reunite patients and families who have been served by the trauma center. Visit the TSN web site for the materials to plan the celebration. Click on “Get Involved”, and then National Trauma Survivors Day.
 
We urge you to start planning activities and make this year’s celebration the best one yet! 

If you have materials that you would like included in these resources, please contact ATS Member Services at 1-800-556-7890 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Trauma Awareness / Trauma Survivors Day (Wednesday, May 20th)
Tool Kit for Trauma Awareness Ceremony
Trauma Awareness Ceremony Checklist
Trauma Awareness Generic Ceremony Brochure
Trauma Nurse Excellence Award Letter
Sample Flyer
How to Invite and Host Legislators or Policymakers
How to Participate in Trauma Survivors Day

The Society of Trauma Nurses, in collaboration with the American Trauma Society, is once again pleased to present National Trauma Awareness Month. This year the theme is “Firearm Injury Prevention: Everyday, Everyone, Everywhere”.

Firearm Injury Prevention: Everyday, Everyone, Everywhere
This year’s focus is Firearm Injury Prevention. Deaths and injuries caused by firearms can happen in any community, to anyone, and at any time. According to the Association of State and Territorial Officials (ASTHO):

• Firearm injury and death claims the lives of eight children and 75 adults each day in the U.S.
• Over 39,773 people died as a result of firearm violence in 2017—one person every 13 minutes.
• That same year, almost two-thirds of all firearm-related deaths were suicides.
• Interpersonal violence accounts for approximately one-eighth of medical care spending on injury in the United States.

Resources

• Firearm Safety Initiatives: Buy Back and Safe Storage
• Hunter Safety and Firearms
• Urban Violence
• Firearms and Suicide
• Stop the Bleed

The Society of Trauma Nurses, in collaboration with the American Trauma Society, is once again pleased to present National Trauma Awareness Month. This year, in honor of National Trauma Awareness Month's 30th anniversary, the theme will expand to cover injury prevention efforts as a whole and the concept that injury is no accident.

In celebration of the ATS's 50th anniversary we will be highlighting the important milestones in Injury Prevention efforts over the past 50 years and are make available a range of updated NTAM prevention resources from past year's campaigns (along with some new ones too).

We hope that this campaign and its materials will continue to draw attention to all injury prevention efforts and invoke change by the community. The ATS has posted these resource materials electronically for your use, not only in May, but also in the months thereafter.

We also encourage trauma centers to have a “Trauma Survivors’ Day” to reunite patients and families who have been served by the trauma center. Visit the TSN web site for the materials to plan the celebration. Click on “Get Involved”, and then National Trauma Survivors Day.

We urge you to start planning activities and make this year’s celebration the best one yet!