“Buckle Up For Safety, Buckle Up!”

Anyone remember that catchy “buckle up” PSA from the 60’s? Anyone? With motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among those ages 5-34 in the U.S, the message can certainly still resonate even today.

Seat belts are the single most effective and easiest way to reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths. According to the National Highway and Safety Administration fastening your seatbelt can reduce your chances of injury by approximately 50 percent.

Everyone should take the life-saving measure and buckle their seatbelt. Period. And in case you’re traveling with little ones, here are a few tips to pack before take to the streets:

• CDC recommends that children ages 12 and under should be seated in the back seat.
• NEVER seat a child in front of an airbag because they are more likely to suffer more possibly fatal injuries with an airbag.
• The safest spot to seat a child in the backseat is in the middle of the row.
• Rear-facing car seats are ideal for infants till age 1 and front-facing car seats are ideal for children up till age 4.
• Booster seats can be used till age 12, but remember to check weight and height requirements!

Driving can be fun when going on a road trip or a relaxing cruise downtown-but it can also be dangerous. Take these safety tips into consideration next time you get into a seat. Together, we can learn to live injury-free because, remember, safety is NO accident. To learn more about road safety visit our website at www.nphw.org also check out these great online resources.

2011 Toolkit Just a Click Away

So you want to get involved in this year’s National Public Health Week? Great! Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered. This year’s NPHW team has put together a handy 2011 Partner Toolkit to get you on your way. And it’s just a click away. So don’t delay. Ok, we digress.

The toolkit (PDF) is chuck full of valuable information and resources on injury and violence prevention to help you organize an event, reach members of the media and meet with local lawmakers. Here’s a look at what’s included:

· Fact sheets
· Safety talking points
· Suggested community events
· Media outreach materials
· Tips for working with media outlets
· Suggested social media involvement
· Legislative information
· Resources

Each event, proclamation, retweet, post and online message is another step towards improving your health and the health of your community. Download the toolkit today. Also, make sure to stay up-to-date on all things National Public Health Week by following us on Twitter , Facebook and remembering to share our message with others.

Today’s guest blog is by Jessica Wehrman, communications manager of the American Association of Poison Control Centers. AAPCC represents the 57 poison control centers across the United States and works to educate the public about poison centers and poison safety.

You can’t have a conversation about public health without talking about poisoning.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, poisoning is the second-leading cause of accidental death in this country after car accidents. In 2009, more than 4 million people called their local poison centers, either to ask about poisons or report a poison exposure. Painkillers, personal care products and cleaning products were among the substances most often involved in poison exposures that year.

Poisoning is a very real and very present danger. It’s an epidemic with no signs of waning, but it’s one that offers easy and authoritative help: Poison centers.

You can connect to your local poison center anywhere in the United States by calling 800-222-1222. Poison centers offer free, confidential medical advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week and take calls in more than 150 languages and from the hearing impaired.

By calling 800-222-1222, you can, in the majority of cases, avoid an unnecessary and costly trip to the hospital. Calling a poison center is easier than unloading your dishwasher or ordering a pizza. And the peace of mind that comes from making the call is far more rewarding.

So why should you call? Many people only think to call poison centers if their child gets into the medicine cabinet. That’s one reason, but there are many other reasons to pick up the phone.

Call your poison center if:
·You’ve made a medicine mistake.
·You have questions about how two medicines might interact.
·You’ve been bitten by a critter.
·You’ve mixed household cleaners and are worried about the fumes.
·You have any questions about poisons or possible poisons.

You can also help yourself by working to prevent poisoning. Here are a few ways to do so:
·Have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home.
·Don’t take medicine in the dark or without your glasses.
·Read and follow the directions on the label before taking any medicine.
·If you have questions about the intended use of your medicine, contact your doctor.
·Talk to your doctor before taking natural or herbal supplements.
·Never use food containers such as cups or bottles to store household and chemical products.
·Store food and household and chemical products in separate areas.
·Keep products that could be poisonous in their original containers.
·Remember – there’s no such thing as “child-proof.” Still, make it harder for children to get
at possible poisons by using safety latches on drawers or cabinets.

Keep this number by your phone: 800-222-1222. When in doubt, check it out. It doesn’t have to be an emergency to call. Poison center calls are free and confidential, and in return, you’ll get advice from a medical expert. It’s one of the best deals in health care today. And all you have to do is remember to call. To learn more about poison prevention visit http://www.blogger.com/www.aapcc.organd join APHA in celebration of National Public Health Week.

“The American Public Health Association encourages you to take action today and help keep key programs such as Poison Control Centers protected from sever budget cuts by telling your representative to protect public health funding."

Join us for National Public Health Week 2011!

Drum roll, please! APHA is happy to announce the theme of this year’s National Public Health Week, “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury-free.” We just launched our new National Public Health Week 2011 website, Join us as we celebrate NPHW, April 4-10, and work towards creating a safer and healthier nation. There are a number of ways you and countless public health advocates across the country can help promote safety and prevent injury and violence in your own community throughout the week. Get involved and help us make injury and violence prevention a priority in all areas of life: at work, at home, at play, in your community and anywhere people are on the move. Visit us at http://www.nphw.org/. While there download logos, wallpaper, talking points, find an event in your area using our interactive map of events, sign up to become a partner and much, much more!

Here are a few ideas:

Host a National Public Health Week event. Identify officials who have been vocal on issues related to injury prevention and invite them to partner in a community event. Hold a child safety seat demonstration to ensure safety seats are installed correctly. Feeling chatty? Tune into APHA’s #NPHW Twitter Chat on Monday, April 4, at 1p.m. ET by including #NPHW in your tweet. Reach out to local media. Submit a letter to the editor about the importance of injury and violence prevention. Highlight the stories of local heroes who have made a real difference in improving the safety of a community. Partner with a local college or university to promote public health student day, April 8th 2011. Help promote safety and prevent injuries and violence across the nation by taking action within your community-Everyone has a role to play. Join APHA during National Public Health Week 2011 as we work together to create a safer nation.

Looking ahead

Thanks to the hard work of public health professionals across the nation, National Public Health Week (NPHW) 2009 was a great success.

Along with events held in hundreds of communities across the nation, NPHW also saw the launch of the new Healthiest Nation in One Generation viral video campaign. So far, more than 20,000 people have viewed the video online and thousands more have seen it at meetings, conferences and other events. Keep spreading the word!

And even though NPHW 2009 has come and gone, our work is far from over. In the months ahead, APHA will work to build on the momentum of all the individuals and communities who have committed to making America the healthiest nation in one generation.

Along with expanding the Healthiest Nation in One Generation campaign, this means supporting and working with other organizations that are committed to the same goal. One great example is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America.

Like APHA, the Commission believes that there is more to good health than health care. To this end, the Commission recently issued 10 recommendations that identify how to help Americans lead healthy lives. The recommendations – which focus on how and where people live, learn, work and play – call on each of us to take responsibility for our health and for leadership to promote greater opportunities for every one of us to live healthy and productive lives. Visit www.commissiononhealth.org to learn more.

With all of us committed to the same goal, we’re on the right path to making America the healthiest nation in one generation.

Home, sweet home

Today, as National Public Health Weeks draws to an end, we’re focusing on public health in the home. By this we mean not just the healthiness of the homes themselves and the food, water and other items contained within, but also the healthiness of the family that lives there.

This is a logical place to end the 2009 observance of National Public Health Week. which aimed to raise awareness of the importance of public health in the current health reform discussion.

Although it is an essential part of the picture, health is so much more than just access to care, which is most frequently discussed. It’s federal funding that provides for public health programs across the nation, it’s communities that are built in a way the supports physical activity, it’s workplaces that provide resources to help employees become tobacco-free, it’s schools that offer healthy food choices and it’s families that support each other in living and adopting healthy behaviors.

To keep our nation’s families healthy, we must work to ensure that public health continues to be able to support them through the lifespan. And our nation’s families have to keep up their end of the bargain too. They have to work to live a healthy lifestyle and set an example for the children that could help us become the healthiest nation in one generation.

Public health will do its part. What will you do?

School’s in session

Today’s lesson: How we can improve the health of our children through schools?

As we all know, the majority of the children and adolescents in our nation spend a large proportion of their time at school. So, as it makes sense to work to help adults make healthy choices in the workplace, it is equally effective to target children through schools.

Public health professionals have made great strides in raising awareness of the importance of getting unhealthy vending machines out of schools and replacing them with healthy options. They’ve also done a good job making the case that children need opportunities to be physically active, both to be healthier and to learn.

But it’s not enough. Too many schools continue to sell high calorie foods because they need the additional revenue to cover budget shortfalls. Too many schools continue to cut physical education classes because they need the time to prepare for tested subjects. Too many schools continue to be built in areas that are only accessible by car or bus, making it impossible for students to walk or bike to school.

This has to change. We must continue to help parents understand that healthy schools are essential to raising healthy children. And we have to let our legislators know that true health reform will require an investment in programs that create schools that support healthy behaviors.

If we can keep our children healthy and nurture the positive behaviors that will help them grow into healthy adults, we will be well on our way to becoming the healthiest nation in one generation.