June is National Safety Month

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Published on Friday, 31 May 2019 09:27

June is National Safety Month

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Injuries are a leading cause of disability for people of all ages – and they are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44. The good news is everyone can get involved to help prevent injuries. During National Safety Month, the Andrew County Health Department is working with community members to help reduce the risk of injuries. This June, we encourage you to learn more about important safety issues like prescription painkiller abuse, transportation safety, swimming safety, fireworks safety, and slips, trips, and falls.

  • Prescription painkiller abuse: Prescription painkiller overdoses are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 18 women die every day from a prescription painkiller overdose – more than 4 times as many as back in 1999.
  • Transportation safety: Doing other activities while driving – like texting or eating–distracts you and increases your chance of crashing. Almost 1 in 5 crashes (17%) that injured someone involved distracted driving.
  • Swimming safety: Drowning is the second most common cause of death from injuries among kids under the age of 14. Drowning can happen so fast — sometimes in less than 2 minutes after a person's head goes under the water. That leaves very little time for someone to help.
  • Fireworks safety: Fireworks are synonymous with our celebration of Independence Day. Yet, the thrill of fireworks can also bring pain. 230 people on average go the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday.
  • Slips, trips, and falls: One in 3 older adults falls each year. Many falls lead to broken bones and other health problems.

You can make a difference. Find out ways to help reduce the risk of these safety issues. 

Prescription Painkiller abuse; http://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/pubs/index.html

Transportation Safety; http://www.nhtsa.gov/ 

Swimming Safety; http://www.safekids.org/tip/swimming-safety-tips 

Fireworks Information Center; http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks/ 

Slips, trips, and falls; http://www.nsc.org/NSCDocuments_Advocacy/Fact%20Sheets/Slips-Trips-and-Falls.pdf 

Tips for Keeping Breast Milk Safe and Healthy

  1. You can pass harmful things, like alcohol, drugs, and lead, to your baby in breast milk. This can cause serious problems for your baby.
  2. Limit smoking and drinking alcohol, ad don't use harmful drugs when you're breastfeeding.
  3. Talk to your health care provider to make sure any medicine you take is safe for your baby during breastfeeding.

This project is/was funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Maternal and Child Health Services Contract #DH150006012 and is/was supported by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant #B04MC28109, Maternal and Child Health Services for $9,095,311, of which $0 is from non-governmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

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