Injury Prevention and Behavioral Health

Injury and Violence Prevention

In working to strengthen the state public health infrastructure, ASTHO supports injury and violence prevention efforts by enhancing the visibility and capacity of state health agencies to reinforce effective policies and evidence-based strategies nationwide.

ASTHO provides tools and resources to assist health officials in making informed public policy decisions and in developing approaches to minimize the consequences of unintentional injury and violence in their states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) has identified four focus areas in the scope of injury and violence prevention:

This approach allows for flexibility in responding to emerging concerns and addressing issues where promising practices and policies are ready for dissemination, implementation and further evaluation.

Recent events precipitated a number of specific policy proposals and heightened interest in preventing firearm-related injuries and deaths. See ASTHO’s resource page on this topic:

Preventing Firearm Injury and Death

ASTHO and Safe States Alliance Policy Guides

*NEW* Preventing Injuries and Violence: An Updated Guide for State and Territorial Health Officials: Revised in 2016, this guide contains new data and state examples that state health officials can use to reduce the burden of injuries and violence in their states.

Spotting Injury and Violence Prevention on Your Radar Screen — Creating a Legacy in Public Health: An interactive primer for state health officials, highlighting the application of policy strategies to accelerate and promote positive change in the field of injury and violence prevention.

Making the Case for Injury and Violence Prevention: Provides insights, strategies, and tips from directors of state injury and violence prevention programs to help state health leaders elevate injury and violence prevention as priorities within their state health departments.

Injury and Violence Prevention: Featured Resources

To explore new initiatives and additional research on the prevention of unintentional injuries and violence, browse these featured publications.

Public Health Partnerships with Education and Medicaid: Improving School Health
ASTHO, Healthy Schools Campaign, and Trust for America’s Health collaborated to develop this resource highlighting the need for public health agencies to engage in school health. State public health agencies… more »

Sexual Violence Prevention Framework Resource Tool
The Association of States and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), in collaboration with Safe States, developed the Sexual Violence Prevention Framework Resource Tool. ASTHO’s Sexual Violence Prevention… more »

2017 Sexual Violence Prevention Policy Scan
ASTHO conducted an environmental scan of sexual violence prevention laws and legislation with the goal of better understanding whether and how primary prevention strategies for sexual violence prevention… more »

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President's Challenge: Injury Prevention

A Challenge to Reduce Preventable Injuries and Deaths in the U.S.

ASTHO Past President, Paul Halverson, DrPH, FACHE, (AR) challenged state health leaders to study the data, assess their states, and consider adopting policy strategies to lessen the burden of preventable injury and death, drawing on the collective expertise and partnerships of ASTHO's national affiliate partners, including the Safe States Alliance, to achieve safer communities and improved health outcomes.

Several topics in the field of injury and violence prevention were examined during the 2009 - 2010 President's Challenge.

Click to browse the archive.

Recent Publications

Preventing Prescription Drug Misuse, Abuse, and Diversion
Non-medical use of prescription opioid pain relievers is a matter of serious public health concern.
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