CDC Injury Center: Director's View Blog

Please visit the CDC Injury Center 20th Anniversary web site for toolkits, talking points, and other resources to help us commemorate our 20 years, and to spread the word about injury and violence prevention.

I have many stories that I could tell about injuries and violence, from both my professional and personal lives. One of my nephews was diagnosed with depression when he was in high school.  He was treated, eventually finished school, and graduated from college at the age of 25.  He was accepted to law school, but tragically, he died by suicide shortly after receiving his acceptance letter. Working in trauma and emergency care for many years, I saw the impacts that deaths and injuries had on families like mine.  These experiences compelled me to do something to prevent other families from suffering.  Being at CDC where so many people are dedicated to preventing these kinds of tragedies gives me an opportunity to ensure that fewer families will experience such loss and disruption. 

Last week, National Public Health Week (NPHW) focused on injury and violence prevention – keeping people safe and realizing the goal of ensuring that people live injury-free.  It was a week where a great deal of attention was focused on injury and violence and the health and societal effects of both.  The joint Safe States Alliance, Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury (SAVIR) & CDC’s Injury Center Conference in Coralville, Iowa brought together over 350 injury and violence prevention practitioners and researchers, creating a forum for research informing practice and practice informing research, and an opportunity to explore evidence-based policy and practice.  It was a great week, and the first time that NPHW focused on injury and violence prevention.

Dr. Linda C. Degutis, DrPH, MSN

Looking back at my experience in the field of injury prevention and control, I can easily see how important partnerships have been in our efforts to decrease the toll that injury takes on people of all ages.  We have come a long way over the past few decades, but face new challenges in enabling people to live injury free lives.  We face the challenges of an aging population, with increased risk of falls; various forms of violence, including violence among youth which so often has its roots in early childhood, and has health impacts far beyond the immediate effect of injuries related to violence; motor vehicle related injuries that affect vehicle occupants as well as those who share the road with motor vehicles; emerging problems with narcotic prescription drug abuse and overdoses; suicide and injuries with long-term effects among our troops who are returning from their missions.  While efforts in these areas may involve different partners and different approaches, they are all amenable to a public health approach.