Injury Control and Emergency Health Services

ICEHS provides an ideal forum through which to establish and strengthen relationships with colleagues working to advance the field of injury control, violence prevention, emergency health services and emergency preparedness. The strength of the section is rooted in the diversity of its membership--leading injury and violence prevention experts, academicians and researchers with varied training and backgrounds, direct health care service providers and specialists in emergency medicine, acute care, rehabilitation and disaster preparedness. International work conducted by section members from across the U.S. and multi-national members add a global perspective to the section.

Injury and violence surveillance, prevention and preparedness employ skill sets found across many discipline-based APHA sections. Thus, the section is truly cross-cutting with disciplines such as epidemiology, health education, health administration, and biostatistics; with age-related sections, such as maternal and child health and gerontology; and with the professional sections, such as vision, nursing and others. The insights offered by community-oriented sections aid grass roots prevention and preparedness efforts. Most injury mechanisms are associated with injury-related disparities highlighting the advantages of involving APHA caucuses whose goals include improving the health and decreasing health disparities among underrepresented groups. We applaud their efforts and those of APHA whose new multimembership structure facilitates cross-sectional collaborations. We welcome the participation of members from other sections whose interests overlap with our own. With multi-disciplinary section participation, our committees are stronger, our perspectives broader, and our visions clearer.