North Central Health District

Georgia DPH Awarded $1,928,177 to Increase Injury Prevention Efforts

Posted December 9, 2019 by Michael Hokanson

ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) was awarded $1,928,177 from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).

 The grant funding is used to provide technical assistance and resources to partner agencies statewide, develop community support for motor vehicle safety programs, support data linkages and help evaluate program efforts.

“This funding will help us save lives,” said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health. “By collaborating across agencies, we have made a difference and can continue to save lives and prevent injuries.”

“The loss of one life on our roads is one too many, and the fact almost all fatal traffic crashes can be prevented is one reason why we are awarding this grant,”  said Allen Poole, director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “The target of zero traffic deaths in our nation is achievable, and we will continue to help develop and implement educational messages, enforcement campaigns, and other safety initiatives aimed at bringing us one step closer to our goal.”

The funding from GOHS acknowledges the success of programs in Georgia that are essential to protecting public health.

• $1,266,415 to the Injury Prevention Program’s Child Occupant Safety Project (COSP) that promotes safe transportation of children throughout Georgia. COSP provides child safety seats and education for local caregivers through the car seat mini grant program active in more than 141 counties, as well as training specific to healthcare professionals, law enforcement, emergency medical services, firefighters and child care providers.

• $206,102 to the Office of Health Indicators for Planning, which processes deaths, hospital discharges and ER visit data. Data are made available to DPH on a departmental data warehouse and published on OASIS, a web-based query system that gives public access to statistics on deaths, hospital discharges, ER visits and motor vehicle crashes (analysis and maps).

• $107,650 to the Injury Prevention Program’s Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES), a project that brings together multiple agencies to identify opportunities for crash prevention by linking and analyzing crash, vehicle and behavioral characteristics to medical and financial data.

• $121,058 to the Injury Prevention Program’s 55+ Driver Safety Program. This program works to educate 55+ adult drivers, their families and professionals on safe driving, age-related mobility changes, and the importance of mobility planning. The program develops comprehensive strategies that balance the needs of at-risk adult drivers with the safety of other road users and pedestrians.

• $226,952 for support of GEMSIS (the Georgia Emergency Medical Services Information System) upgrades and linkages. The GEMSIS database is the only statewide source for pre-hospital care information. The GEMSIS Upgrades grant will support the work being done to increase the completeness and accuracy of the patient care information.