Injury Prevention Service
Mission
The mission of the Injury Prevention Service is to improve the health of Oklahomans by working in collaboration with communities and stakeholders to identify injury problems, then developing, implementing, and evaluating environmental modifications, policy, and educational interventions.
Injuries are a major public health problem in the United States and Oklahoma. Since its inception in 1987, the Injury Prevention Service has established a comprehensive injury prevention program. The Injury Prevention Service maintains a strong capacity for monitoring injury trends and conducting interventions.
Programmatic Efforts
Statewide surveillance data are collected by Injury Prevention Service staff from hospitals, death certificates, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for various injury topics under special study. The program utilizes other data sources (public safety, law enforcement, emergency medical systems, prescription drug monitoring program, etc.) to provide supplemental data regarding circumstances resulting in injury as well as specific injury prevention expertise. In addition, injury indicator data are collected for 22 fatal and hospitalized injuries for the State Injury Indicator Reports.
The programmatic efforts of the Injury Prevention Service primarily target causes of death and disability from unintentional (accidental) injuries, including motor vehicle crashes, drug overdose, falls, and all-terrain vehicle crashes. Educational efforts have also addressed violence and intentional causes of injury, including sexual violence prevention, intimate partner violence, suicide, and homicide.
The Injury Prevention Service has been successful in maintaining statewide surveillance for reportable injuries and using the surveillance data to develop, implement, and evaluate prevention programs. A large house fire injury prevention effort in south Oklahoma City resulted in an 80% reduction in the rate per population of injuries during the four years following the program, while the rest of Oklahoma City had a 7% increase in the rate of injury. For every $1 spent on the program, $20 was saved in preventing injury, death, lost productivity costs, and other costs associated with these events. Following implementation of car seat programs in targeted communities, car seat use increased in all of the project communities. Additionally, there are documented instances where programs developed by the Injury Prevention Service have saved lives.
Injury Prevention Service Newsletter
Contact Information
Mailing Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Injury Prevention Service
123 Robert S. Kerr. Ave Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
Physical Address:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Injury Prevention Service
123 Robert S. Kerr. Ave
Oklahoma City, OK
Telephone: (405) 426-8440
Fax: (405) 900-7588
