National Trauma Awareness Month

More than 199,800 Americans die annually as a result of traumatic injuries and injuries are the leading cause of death among people ages 1-44 years of age in the U.S. – that is more deaths than non-communicable diseases and infectious diseases combined. Injury prevention has been a core value of the American Trauma Society since the Society was founded in 1968 and drives the organization’s activities, resource development and advocacy.

The American Trauma Society (ATS) was instrumental in having May of each year designated as National Trauma Awareness Month by President Ronald Reagan and Congress in 1988. Since then, the ATS has worked with other trauma organizations to develop injury prevention and trauma awareness materials for use by our members and community partners. Each year, a new focus
is designated which relates to injury prevention and raising trauma awareness.

This year, in collaboration with the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), and in honor of National Trauma Awareness Month’s 30th anniversary, the focus was expanded to bring awareness to the concept that “Injury is No Accident” and that most injuries are preventable through awareness and education. We hope that this campaign and its materials will continue to draw attention to all injury prevention efforts and will invoke change by the community and policy makers.

The ATS has posted free injury prevention resource materials on its website ranging from the 2018 focus on Personal Recreational Vehicle Safety to prior year’s campaigns focusing on Senior Fall Prevention, Distracted Driving, Drowsy Driving, Drunk/Drugged Driving, Sports Safety & Stop the Bleed.

All of these resources are available on the ATS web site at www.amtrauma.org/NTAM.