Ounce of Prevention

UNM Health Sciences Observes Injury Prevention Day on Nov. 18 to Raise Awareness

When the sun goes down on Friday, Nov. 18, darkened skylines across the country will have a hue of green.

The glow will mark the end of the third annual National Injury Prevention Day, highlighting the need to address injuries and violence, the No. 1 killers of people 1-44 years old.

To create awareness for injury prevention, green lights will illuminate bridges, monuments, government buildings, businesses, hospitals and trauma centers.

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences is joining forces with those working to raise awareness about the problem and to provide communities with tools to make a difference.

Everyone is working for change in a year where lives were taken in areas deemed safe: homes, playgrounds, schools and grocery stores. The aim is to stop the heartache needlessly left by preventable injuries and deaths from more than 40 mass shootings and large numbers of lives taken by handguns, fires, motor vehicle crashes, drownings and drug overdoses.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. , the UNM Health Sciences Injury Prevention Coalition will be on hand with community partners to provide helpful tips and safety products for you and your children. If you visit Explora on Nov. 12, mention “Injury Prevention” at the front deskfor FREE entry.

“Injuries and violence touch everyone whether it be our children, family members, parents, spouses or ourselves but many are preventable,” said Barbara Barlow, MD, professor emerita at Columbia Health. Barlow has focused her research on traumatic injury to children and injury prevention for the past 25 years.

“We must promote the use of safe practices, using safety products, and the implementation of strong legislative policies,” she said.

You can also download the Injury Prevention Day Zoom background here. To learn more about National Injury Prevention Day activities, visit InjuryFree.org.