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Community Outreach & Engagement at Trauma Center at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island

Injuries are a leading cause of death for Americans across all demographics, according to the New York State Department of Health:

  • Nearly 8,000 New Yorkers die every year because of injury.
  • Injuries are consistently among the leading causes of hospitalization for all age groups.
  • More than 155,000 individuals are injured severely enough to require hospitalization annually.
  • Another 1.5 million injured New Yorkers are treated and released from an emergency department each year.

The mission of our community education and engagement program is to reduce the burden of injuries in our community and support trauma survivors through evidence-based programming, training, and resources.

Injury Prevention Programs

Our Fall Prevention Program for Older Adults aims to reduce the risk of falls, which are a leading cause of head injury and hip fracture. Through our hospital-based programs and partnership with the Office of Community Education, Outreach and Health Benefit, we provide evidence-based programs to ensure build strength, flexibility, and confidence:

  • A Matter of Balance is designed to increase activity levels and reduce fears of falling. This program consists of eight sessions lasting two hours each.
  • Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention helps older adults increase their confidence performing everyday activities. It incorporates tai chi movements and principles for improving overall health and wellness. Each series lasts eight weeks, with 2 hour-long classes weekly, for a total of 16 sessions.

Walk Safe with a Doc, in collaboration with the New York Coalition for Transportation Safety (NYCTS) and Long Island Health Collaborative, invites community members to learn about pedestrian safety while enjoying the benefits of physical activity on a one-mile walk.

CarFit, an educational program developed by AAA, AARP, and the American Occupational Therapy Association, helps older adult drivers improve the personal fit in their vehicle, including proper positioning of mirrors and seats. During this 20-minute evaluation, trained professionals ensure drivers are able to correctly adjust their vehicles to fit them and provide safety information and materials to promote continued driving mobility.

Stop the Bleed teaches people with little or no medical training how to recognize and control excessive bleeding caused by a traumatic injury. During this in-person, hands-on training session, participants learn how to apply a tourniquet and use pressure to stop bleeding. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

Our Teddy Bear Clinic is an interactive injury-prevention program for young children. Using role-play and pretend play, children take care of their “injured” stuffed animal while learning how to stay safe in the car, on a bicycle, and at play.

Trauma Survivorship

We are proud to be a part of the Trauma Survivors Network (TSN), a program of the American Trauma Society. The TSN provides the support and services that patients and their families need during their recovery from serious injury. These are the program’s goals:

  • to bring together trauma survivors and families to connect with one another and share support and information about the recovery process
  • to enhance survivor skills and self-efficacy to manage day-to-day challenges
  • to establish a network of hospital-based peer support programs and other resources for trauma survivors and their families
  • to train healthcare providers to deliver the best care and support to patients and their families and friends
  • to build a community of advocates dedicated to improving prevention efforts, trauma outcomes, and trauma systems

Visit the TSN to learn more about other local survivor resources.

Community Partners

AAA Northeast
Girl Scouts of Nassau County
Long Island Health Collaborative
New York Coalition for Traffic Safety
Nassau Libraries Health Share

Research

Innovation and knowledge generation are both key to preventing injuries in the community and supporting trauma survivors. Our current academic interests include fall prevention and medication awareness and gun violence prevention.

Contact Us

For more information about our programs, please call Josephine Peterson at 516-663-9643 or email TraumaACS_LI@NYULangone.org.