May is National Trauma Awareness Month.

Published 05/01/2025

This annual American Trauma Society campaign promotes injury prevention and safety practices. This year’s theme is “Model Safety Every Day: For a Stronger Tomorrow.” The message is each of us can make safe choices in our everyday lives. These choices include small actions like wearing a seatbelt, using protective gear, or eliminating distractions.

During National Trauma Awareness Month and all year long, we can be a part of making choices that prevent injury and create safer, healthier communities!

Additional Resources:

• Model Safety Every Day: For A Stronger Tomorrow Pledge
• American Trauma Society
• Trauma Survivors Network

May is Child Passenger Safety Technician Month.

05/01/2025

We recognize the important role Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians and instructors play in advocating for children’s safe transportation in vehicles. Technicians educate parents, caregivers, and community stakeholders about child passenger safety. This helps prevent unintentional motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths. CPS technicians teach caregivers how to choose an appropriate child safety seat for the family vehicle based on the child’s size and development. They offer hands-on help to show families how to use seats properly. CPS technicians tailor their education based on each family’s circumstances and needs.

The Safe Riders Child Passenger Safety Program works to prevent child deaths and reduce child injuries due to motor vehicle crashes – a leading cause of death for children. Safe Riders offers training and recertification support for more than 1,800 CPS technicians in Texas.

Learn more about the Safe Riders program, how to become a certified CPS technician, and the important role CPS technicians play in keeping children safe on Texas roadways!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Published 05/01/2025

Mental wellness can lay the foundation for overall health and safety. A person’s mental wellness can affect their thinking, feeling, behavior, and mood. “These conditions deeply impact day-to-day living and may also affect the ability to relate to others” (National Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI).

According to NAMI:

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
• Suicide is the 2^nd leading cause of death among people ages 10-14 and ages 15-24.

Understanding and talking about how mental health impacts suicide rates, substance use disorders, or violence against oneself or others can reduce stigma and injuries.

We can create safer, healthier communities by:

• Providing safe spaces for those struggling with mental health,
• Helping people get access to mental health resources, and
• Knowing the signs someone is struggling and where to get help.

EMS and Trauma Registries Highlights

Published 05/01/2025

EMS and Trauma Registries (EMSTR) is a statewide surveillance system collecting 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 U.S. We use EMSTR data to inform injury prevention activities and create a safer Texas.

EMSTR has a record-breaking number of EMS and trauma records for calendar year 2024. EMSTR closed the 2024 EMS and trauma datasets at the end of April, and many EMS providers are sending patient records in real-time. This allows for more robust public health surveillance at the state and national level. Receiving large amounts of data in real-time paints a more comprehensive picture of what injury, prevention activities, and quality improvement looks like in Texas.

Learn more about EMSTR and how they support Texas injury prevention:

• EMS and Trauma Registries | Texas DSHS
• EMSTR Surveillance Reports and Data Presentations | Texas DSHS
• Public Facing EMS Dashboards | National EMS Information System

Texas Overdose Data to Action Naloxone Locator Map

Published 05/01/2025

Texas Overdose Data to Action (TODA) recently released their Texas Naloxone Locator Map. This interactive map allows community members to locate free and reduced-cost naloxone (brand name – Narcan) in their area. We can add locations that offer naloxone to the public to the locator map using the Naloxone Map Form request.

Naloxone can rapidly reverse opioid-involved drug poisonings. This includes heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications. Giving naloxone right away can save a life during a drug poisoning!

Learn more about naloxone and TODA’s work to reduce drug poisonings in Texas:

• CDC’s 5 Things to Know About Naloxone
• CDC’s How to Administer Naloxone Tutorial Video
• TODA Resource Maps
• TODA General Resources

The Texas Department of State Health Services does not endorse external links to other websites or documents created by other agencies. These links and documents are informational and may not be accessible to persons with disabilities.