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Injury and Violence Prevention News
| 1. |
New Report Describes the Costs of Sexual Violence in Minnesota |
| 2. |
CDC Reports on Costs of All Violence |
| 3. |
New Report is First on Hospital-treated Dog Bites in Minnesota |
| 4. |
Register Now for Many Faces of Community Health |
1. New Report Describes the Costs of Sexual Violence in Minnesota
Sexual assault in Minnesota cost approximately $8 billion in 2005, according to the state’s first-ever report on the estimated economic impact of rape and other forms of sexual assault, titled Costs of Sexual Violence in Minnesota http://www.health.state.mn.us/svp. It was prepared by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and the MDH Sexual Violence Prevention Program.
According to the report, 61,000
Cost per sexual assault was estimated at $184,000 for children and $139,000 for adults. Costs included medical and mental health care for victims, lost work and other quality-of-life issues, victim services, and criminal justice costs. Victims can have additional costs related to sexually-transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, suicide, and substance abuse.
In 2005,
As a first step toward developing a statewide plan to prevent sexual violence, 52 people from varied perspectives attended a two-day planning retreat in August. The plan is now being written.
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2. CDC Reports on Costs of All Violence
Violence-related injuries, including suicide, adversely affect the health and welfare of all Americans through premature death, disability, medical costs, and lost productivity. A new fact sheet http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/CostOfViolence.htm estimates medical and productivity losses and recommends ways to reduce the economic burden of violence.
Self-inflicted injuries, such as suicide and attempted suicide, cost Americans $33 billion annually. Interpersonal violence, such as homicide, child maltreatment, youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and other types of assaults, cost $37 billion.
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3. New Report is First on Hospital-treated Dog Bites in Minnesota
In its first report on hospital-treated dog bites in the state, MDH reviewed hospital records that showed a 40 percent increase in such incidents between 1998 and 2005. The report is summarized in a news release (http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/bites071907.html)
and was published in the July 2007 issue of Minnesota Medicine (www.mmaonline.net/Publications/mn-med.cfm).
The largest increase was in dog bites treated in emergency departments. The highest rates of both hospitalization and emergency department treatment occurred among children ages one to four years. In 75 percent of the instances, the victim was familiar with the dog(s) involved. The dog bites most often occurred in the home (48 percent) and yard (18 percent).
Hospital records used in the study seldom documented the breed of the dog. Professional journal articles cited in the report indicate that identifying a single breed can lead to a false sense of security about other breeds. A dog’s tendency to bite is based on factors such as its early experiences, socialization, and the victim’s behavior, as well as the dog’s heredity.
The report recommended that physicians, especially pediatricians and family physicians, counsel parents about the importance of supervising their children and teaching them safe behaviors when they are around dogs.
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4. Register Now for Many Faces of Community Health
“Many Faces of Community Health” will be held October 11-12, 2007 at the Doubletree Park Place Hotel in
The conference is designed for health professionals, community and social services staff, clinic administrators and finance managers, public health practitioners, and others working to improve the health status of at-risk and underserved populations. Keynote speaker is Terie Dreussi Smith, MA Ed & OCPS II, co-author of Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities. Registration information is at http://manyfacesconference.org
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Also see > National Center for Injury Prevention & Control (NCIPC), at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the latest injury prevention news at the national-level.
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Injury and Violence Prevention Unit
Minnesota Department of Health PO BOX 64882 ST PAUL MN 55164-0882 (651) 201-5484 injury.prevention@health.state.mn.us |
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