Injury Prevention

Trauma is No Accident!

No one wants to get injured. CentraCare works to educate the community about preventable injuries. Our goal is not only to promote safe and healthy lifestyles, but also to decrease the number of trauma admissions to the Emergency Room.

Review safety information

Please review the following articles for injury prevention information for these specific activities:

Preventing Falls

Children's Safety

Weather Safety

A Matter of Balance (MOB) and Stepping On Courses

A Matter of Balance and Stepping On are successful evidence-based program for older adults. Participants show significant improvements in falls management, falls control, level of exercise and social limitations with regard to concerns about falling.

Find a class near you at yourjuniper.org.

For Stepping On Workshop Leaders and Coordinators (From Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging)

Car Seat Check Up Events

Car seat checks and education are provided to you by the St. Cloud Area Child Passenger Safety Collaborative.

See dates of upcoming St. Cloud car seat checks at the Gold Cross Ambulance Garage, 2800 Seventh Ave. North, St. Cloud.

Things to know before you call for an appointment:

  • Plan ahead! If you are expecting, we recommend calling when you are six to seven months pregnant.
  • Seat checks are available for all stages — infant seats to booster seats.
  • If you get a voicemail, please leave your name, phone number and number of car seats you would like checked. Someone will call you back to schedule an appointment time.
  • Plan 30 minutes for EACH car seat in EACH vehicle.
  • Before your check, you need to install your car seat at home (read the car seat manual and vehicle manual for assistance).
  • Car seats will be evaluated for correct fit in the vehicle, child size and for any recalls.
  • This is not a distribution site — you must bring your own car seat.

Concussion Prevention

For the safety of our athletes and further prevention of concussions, a Minnesota law has required all coaches and officials (public and private) to be trained in identifying concussions since 2011. In order to accommodate the regulations of the State, the Centers for Disease Control has created a prevention tool called Heads Up. The program was developed to identify and educate our athletes, parents and coaches on concussions in youth sports. The program provides online training for coaches, as well as a number of printable resources for athletes and their parents. Please take the time to thoroughly review this information so athletes who experience a concussion can be managed appropriately and return to play safely.

Central Minnesota Fall Prevention & Home Safety Coalition

RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), a department of the City of St. Cloud, works with St. Cloud Hospital, Gold Cross Ambulance, St. Cloud Fire Department, St. Cloud Police Department, Central Minnesota Council on Aging and Spot Rehab to provide a falls prevention program for area seniors. Trained volunteers provide free in-home safety assessments for seniors who live independently.

Teen Driving Awareness Program

Parents of young drivers have the opportunity to expose them to a variety of driving conditions and scenarios in a controlled setting. The Teen Driving Skills and Parent Awareness Class takes place every other month at the Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center.

For more information and registration, go to Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center

Learn more about the Teen Driving Awareness Program (PDF)

Stearns and Benton Toward Zero Deaths Coalition

The MN Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) program works in partnership with community and corridor groups to improve the traffic safety of a designated area. MN TZD provides technical assistance, materials and guidance to local groups that are committed to reducing crashes and the fatalities and serious injuries that result from them.

View the Stearns and Benton Toward Zero Deaths Coalition Facebook page

For the Health of It Blog: Playing a Part to Bring Us Closer to Zero

Stop the Bleed Campaign

Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. It is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage bystanders to become trained, equipped and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.

Learn more at www.bleedingcontrol.org

For the Health of It Blog: Be Prepared to Save a Life — Know How to Respond In a Bleeding Emergency

Please contact St. Cloud Hospital Trauma Services Director Tami Bong, MSN, RN, CEN, at Tamara.Bong@centracare.com with any questions regarding the current injury prevention programs and how they may benefit you or your organization.