April 30, 2013
Representative Pat Dillon is excited the proposed budget, recently approved by the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee, authorizes positions in the Office of Injury Prevention (OIP). The office, located in the state Department of Public Health (DPH), is currently dormant due to federal inaction.
The Office of Injury Prevention was established in 1993, through enabling legislation authored by Rep. Dillon. The current proposed change to OIP was recommended to the full Appropriations Committee by the subcommittee Rep Dillon chairs and which oversees the DPH budget.
“Connecticut was pioneering in the collection and analysis of injury data and its work to lower occurrences of injuries and gun violence,” Rep. Dillon said.
State statute, Sec. 19a-4I Office of Injury Prevention, requires hospitals and clinics to gather data on the causes of patients’ injuries. OIP was charged with developing and maintaining an injury database and establishing programs on injury prevention, awareness and education.
“We have the raw data. We need people in the Office of Injury Prevention to work with the information and help Connecticut residents avoid serious and potentially deadly injury,” Rep. Dillon said.
According to DPH, unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for Connecticut residents between the ages of 1 and 44 years and the fifth leading cause of death for all age groups. Firearm homicide is the second-leading cause of death for young people ages 1-19 in the United States.