November 18 is National Injury Prevention Day

Safe Kids Kansas and Partners Shine a Green Light on Injury and Violence Prevention

National Injury Prevention Day in Kansas is Thursday, Nov. 18.  This is the fifth year for this annual observance which shines a light on the importance of injury and violence prevention. 

Every day, 20 children die from preventable injuries, resulting in more deaths than all diseases combined. By using safety practices and products and smart policies, many of these deaths are preventable. National partners supporting National Injury Prevention Day include: Injury Free Coalition for Kids, Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe States Alliance, the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Drowning Prevention Alliance, the American Trauma Society, the Trauma Center Association of America, the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR), the Giffords organization, Giffords Gun Owners for Safety, BeSMART, Columbia Center for Injury Science and Prevention, and JPMA Cares, as well as state and local partners. Safety advocates across the country are working together to educate families and community leaders about ways to create and support safer environments. 

On Saturday, Nov. 23, injury prevention partners will host an Injury Free Day, a children’s safety fair and story time for children at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon. Participating partners include Safe Kids Kansas, Safe Kids Shawnee County, the Kansas Traffic Safety and Resource Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Shawnee County Health Department, the Office of the State Fire Marshal, BeSMART, the YMCA of Topeka, Operation Lifesaver and the Kansas Poison Center. 

When the sun goes down on Nov. 18, Evergy Plaza and Stormont Vail Health in Topeka will be lighting up green in support of these efforts. We appreciate their commitment to a safer Kansas and invite others to join us in raising awareness of injury prevention.

Safe Kids Kansas is a non-profit coalition of partners and local organizations across the state dedicated to prevention of unintentional childhood injuries.  The Kansas Department of Health and Environment serves as lead agency of the coalition. Safe Kids Kansas is part of Safe Kids Worldwide network. For more information, visit safekidskansas.org or follow @safekidskansas on Facebook and Instagram.

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