The mission
of the Office of Injury Prevention is to improve the health of Texans by
reducing morbidity and mortality resulting from unintentional and
intentional injuries.
Our vision
is to continually improve the surveillance of reportable events through
the use of the Emergency Medical Services & Trauma Registries (EMS/TR),
Texas Violent Death Reporting System (TVDRS), and other population-based data
sources, to assess Texas’ data systems utilizing epidemiological principles and
public health best practices, and to share knowledge through data
dissemination, presentations, and reports for the benefit of public
health.
Data Sources:
CDC, WISQARS, 2018
Since 2000, injuries have been the leading cause of death in Texas for ages
1-44. In 2018, 44 people died from injuries and violence each day in Texas. The
top three injury-related deaths in Texas are due to motor vehicle traffic,
firearm, and drug poisoning.
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EMS & Trauma Registries
The EMS &
Trauma Registries (EMS/TR) is made up of four registries: the EMS Registry; the
acute Traumatic Injury Registry; the Traumatic Brain Injury Registry / Spinal
Cord Injury Registry; and the Submersion Registry. The EMS/TR is a statewide
passive surveillance system that collects reportable event data from EMS
providers, hospitals, Justices of the Peace, Medical Examiners, and
rehabilitation facilities. Texas is home to one of the largest EMS registries
in the United States with more than 3.4 million EMS runs received annually.
Learn more about data reporting requirements for the EMS & Trauma
Registries
Portal
to the EMS & Trauma Registries
Link
to the Texas Poison Center Network
Link to the
Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council
Important News and Updates
View previous
recorded webinars at the following link: Previous Webinars
Business Associate
Agreement (BAA) - This
is a sample BAA.
Contact
EMS/TR
Your questions
are important to us. For the most efficient response on EMS/TR data, please email
us at injury.web@dshs.texas.gov. Alternatively, you may contact us using
our central telephone number at (800) 242-3562.
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Texas Violent Death Reporting System (TVDRS)
Linking Data to Save Lives
Frontline investigators including law enforcement, coroners, and
medical examiners, collect valuable information about violent deaths. However,
these data points are seldom linked in a systematic manner to provide a
complete picture of violent death.
The Texas Violent Death Reporting System (TVDRS) collects data from
death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, law enforcement reports,
and toxicology reports into one anonymous database. Data elements collected
provide valuable context about violent deaths, such as relationship problems;
mental health conditions and treatment; toxicology results; and life stressors,
including recent money- or work-related problems or physical health problems.
Such data are far more comprehensive than what other collection systems provide.
Decision-makers and program planners can use this information to develop and
tailor violence prevention efforts.
Contact
TVDRS
Your questions
are important to us. For the most efficient response on TVDRS data, please
email us at tvdrs@dshs.texas.gov.
Safe Riders
Safe Riders provides helpful information about child passenger safety,
including links to related local and national websites.
Program goal
To reduce the number of motor vehicle crash injuries and fatalities to
children in Texas who are unrestrained due to family low-income status, Safe
Riders manages a child safety seat distribution and education program. The
program is available in most, but not all areas of Texas.
Contact
Safe Riders
Your questions are important to us. For the most efficient response on
the Safe Riders Program, please email us at saferiders@dshs.texas.gov or call 800-252-8255
from 8:00am - 4:30pm Central time, Monday through Friday.
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Child Fatality Review
The Office of Injury Prevention includes child fatality reviews.
The Office facilitates the State Child Fatality Review Team Committee
(committee). The committee works with local CFRTs to provide recommendations
about injury prevention activities such as drowning prevention and motor
vehicle safety. These recommendations relate to modifying current legislation,
increasing public education, and determining feasibility of strengthening
systems.
This committee reports aggregate child fatality data
collected by local CFRTs and recommends strategies to prevent child fatalities
and injuries. The committee provides recommendations to the Texas legislature
and the Department of Family and Protective Services child safety review
subcommittee on child protective services operations. The child safety review
subcommittee is an internal DFPS committee that meets quarterly to discuss
recommendations to improve DFPS practices and prevent child deaths.
The report is made to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than April 1 of each
even-numbered year. More information on Child Fatality Review can be found here.
Contact Child
Fatality Review
Your questions
are important to us. For the most efficient response on child fatality information
and data, please email us at cfrt@dshs.texas.gov.
For more
information about Injury Prevention in Texas, please contact us at:
Texas Department of State Health Services
Office of Injury Prevention
PO Box 149347, Mail Code 1914
Austin, TX 78714-9347
Phone number: (800) 242-3562
Fax: (512) 458-7658
injury.web@dshs.texas.gov
tvdrs@dshs.texas.gov
saferiders@dshs.texas.gov
cfrt@dshs.texas.gov
External links
to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement
of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These external links may not
be accessible to persons with disabilities.