Georgia Department of Public Health receives $2 million in grant funding
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety grant includes $1.3 million for child safety
Staff Reports
ATLANTA — Officials with the Georgia Department of Public Health announced the agency has been awarded $2,027,722 in grant funding from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to provide technical assistance and resources to partner agencies statewide, develop community support for motor vehicle safety programs, support data linkages and help evaluate program efforts.
“Bottom line, this funding will help us save the lives of Georgians,” DPH Commissioner Dr. J. Patrick O’Neal, said. “By working together and supporting each other, we have made a difference and can continue to save lives and prevent injuries.”
Officials said the funding from GOHS serves to acknowledge the success of programs in Georgia that are essential to protecting public health. Its allocations include:
— $1,347,677 to the Injury Prevention Program’s Child Occupant Safety Project that promotes safe transportation of children throughout Georgia. The COSP provides child safety seats and education for caregivers through the car seat mini-grant program active in more than 140 counties.
— $207,502 to the Office of Health Indicators for Planning OASIS, a web-based query system that gives public access to statistics on deaths, hospital discharges, emergency room visits and motor vehicle crashes — including analysis and maps — based on DPH’s departmental data warehouse.
— $112,735 to Injury Prevention Program’s Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System, a project that brings together multiple agencies to identify opportunities for crash prevention by linking and analyzing crash, vehicle and behavioral characteristics to medical and financial data.
— $118,119 to the Injury Prevention Program’s Older Driver Safety Program that works to maintain and/or enhance the mobility of older adults by developing comprehensive strategies that balance the needs of older adults with the safety of other road users and pedestrians.
— $241,689 for support of Georgia Emergency Medical Services Information System upgrades and linkages. The GEMSIS upgrades grant will support the work being done to increase the completeness and accuracy of patient care information.
“These grants are key to our public health prevention strategies that improve highway safety throughout the state of Georgia,” O’Neal said.
At the same time, the DPH Injury Prevention Program also announced the 2018 recipients of child passenger safety mini-grants, meant to help county health departments and their community partners reduce the number of injuries and deaths among children in Georgia.
Officials said this year’s $229,670 award will be used to support the purchase of car seats to be distributed in more than 115 Georgia counties.
“Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children, and it’s up to all of us to do everything we can to protect our children on the road,” O’Neal said. “Buckling up our children is the best way to save lives and reduce injuries.”
Several Southwest Georgia counties will receive mini-grants, including Ben Hill, Colquitt, Chattahoochee, Crisp, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, Mitchell, Pulaski, Schley, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Tift, Twiggs, Webster and Worth.
Officials with the Worth County Health Department said nearly three of every four car seats are not used properly, placing children at unnecessary risk.
“Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly,” Worth County Health Department Nurse Manager Gina Connell said. “It’s our responsibility to keep our children safe. The Car Seat Mini Grant is a great opportunity to help our community and help protect our children from serious injuries or death in motor vehicle crashes.”
Since 2007, officials said, more than 344 Georgia children who were involved in crashes were saved because of car seats or booster seats provided through the mini-grant program. They said education about car seat safety and proper installation have also helped protect young lives.
For more information on the child Occupant Safety Project, email [email protected] or call (404) 463-1487. Additional information regarding county contacts can be found by visiting www.gacarseats.com and scrolling through the main page attachments.
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