Approximately 29,000 pediatric emergency room visits are made to UMass Memorial Medical Center each year, as well as over 48,000 visits to primary and subspecialty clinics. Utilizing hospital trauma registry data and state epidemiology statistics, UMass Memorial has categorized the various reasons why children are admitted. Of the pediatric admissions due to pediatric trauma/injuries, the top three are related to falls, sports and motor vehicle-related injuries.
The Injury Prevention Center is an interdisciplinary team focusing on intervention programs to decrease the incidence of these traumas. The group works with community leaders on playground safety improvements, Goods for Guns program, distributes Safe at Home childproofing kits, offers family car seat safety clinics, and develops interactive safety displays aimed at educating children in pedestrian, bicycle and car safety.
Measuring the impact of interventions based on annual trauma admission statistics, the program's primary goals are:
- To educate Greater Worcester area families about the causes and ways to avoid pediatric accidents and trauma
- To create and strengthen partnerships with the local community
- To develop creative and effective solutions to combat childhood injury
- To further scientific knowledge about the causes and prevention of pediatric injury in Greater Worcester.
The Injury Prevention Center works with groups, including Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts, Child Passenger Safety Coalition for Worcester County, Emergency Nurses Association, Office of the District Attorney/Middle District; Women, Infant and Children Program (WIC), Pediatric Trauma Nurse Consortium, Worcester Fire Department, Worcester Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, Worcester Public Schools, and Head Start.
For further information, contact Principal Investigator Michael Hirsh, MD, 774-443-8626.