The work of injury and violence prevention never stops In the event of a national emergency, the needs of our communities do not stop, and therefore, our work as Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) practitioners cannot stop. IVP practitioners are broad in their training and scope (such as, trauma clinicians, state and local health department employees, and community organization members), and each plays an important role in protecting the health and safety of our communities.

 

Balancing personal life with work requires relationships Adjusting to changes in professional life while balancing one’s personal life requires resiliency and creativity.

With this in mind, it is important to remember that the relational aspect of our work is the cornerstone of our field and that we have to support one another for successful IVP prevention.
How we work may be changing, but our passion does not Amidst all the of the changes, we’ve been consistent. There may be toddlers, puppies, and spouses in the background, but we have pressed on through a variety of work policy changes, adapting to video conference calls, and changes in how we do our job. We do this because we want to see rates of child abuse, concussions, road traffic fatalities, and suicide decrease. A society where families enjoy summer without drownings, and where people age gracefully without falls. We are passionate about seeing better people, better families, and better communities, so we keep going.
See beyond the numbers The uniqueness of the IVP field has often necessitated relational and in-person mechanisms for prevention and response (such as, teacher mandatory reporting of child abuse). Without these mechanisms to collect data, the trends may incorrectly appear to be improving. Remote work necessitates that we find new strategies for data collection and monitoring, and how we maintain and create relationships with stakeholders.

Injury and violence prevention and response work needs to be prioritized and amplified.