To reduce injury through training, research, intervention, evaluation, and dissemination.

Please click on the following link for more information About the Center.

March 19, 2008
David Hemenway Interview at the New England Journal of Medicine
David Hemenway, PhD, discusses gun violence in the United States and the likely effects of the Supreme Court case D.C. v. Heller in an audio interview with the New England Journal of Medicine. Click here for a link to the interview.

March 14, 2008
2008 Poison Prevention Week Kick-off
The Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention presents the 2008 Poison Prevention Week Kick-off on Friday, March 14, 2008, starting at 9:30am.  The event will take place at the Massachusetts State House in the Great Hall and is open to the public.  See their website for more information.

February 21, 2008
HICRC Research Cited on WUMB Radio
Research by Renee M. Johnson, PhD, on carbon monoxide detector prevalence was cited in the January 19th episode of Commonwealth Journal on WUMB radio, titled "Carbon Monoxide: The Invisible Danger". The findings are from the Boston Neighborhood Survey.

Click here for link to the podcast.

February 14, 2008
National Firearms Survey Article Second Most Downloaded on Injury Prevention Journal
HICRC's Lisa Hepburn, Matt Miller, Deb Azrael, and David Hemenway's 2007 article "The US gun stock: results from the 2004 national firearms survey" is the second most downloaded on the Injury Prevention Journal website.  In the past year, over 5,000 full-text access downloads have been made.

Click on link for the full results.

February 5, 2008
Poisonings More Than Tripled in Rate Since 1990
Poisonings from accidents and unknown circumstances more than tripled in rate since 1990. In 2005, the last year for which mortality data are available, over 26,800 people died from accidental or unknown poisonings (largely overdoses of medications or illegal drugs). That's twenty thousand more than in 1990. It's also 2,400 more than in 2004; the problem shows no sign of abating. The rates are highest among the middle-aged, but teenagers and young adults have been racing to catch up. Elders have remained largely untouched by the increases.

Unfortunately, there has been insufficient response to this growing problem. HICRC strongly recommends that governments and foundations respond to this new public health epidemic by supporting:

--data systems and research to understand the nature of the problem;

--notification systems to respond quickly when new, dangerous substances hit the street;

--appropriate emergency medical system response; and

--community interventions/evaluation research to understand what works best to stem the tide.

February 4, 2008
Cathy Barber Receives 2008 Leadership in Suicide Prevention Award
The Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention presented an award to HICRC's Cathy Barber on Monday, February 4th, at the Massachusetts State House in recognition for her contributions to suicide prevention efforts. Ms. Barber led the effort to design and pilot what is now the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System, co-founded the National Center for Suicide Prevention Training, and conducts a variety of research dissemination activities on suicide prevention. Other award recipients included Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and his wife Deborah DiMasi, State Representative Ruth Balser, Sally Fogerty of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Needham Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Sandy Vickery of the Bourne Council on Aging, and the Youth Education and Support Project.

Legal Drinking Age
Injuries are the leading cause of death for youths aged 18-20 years, and alcohol is a risk factor for their mortality...  to read more visit our Success Stories link.