BOZEMAN, MONTANA – 5/17/2024 – Unintentional injuries are one of the five leading causes of death for rural communities in the United States.
The Rural Unintentional Injury Prevention Toolkit, developed by the Rural Health Information Hub (RHIhub), is a new free resource to help mitigate unintentional injuries in rural communities, such as motor vehicle and traffic crashes.
The new toolkit provides seven modules that cover the process of implementing programs aimed at preventing unintentional injuries in rural areas, including those involving motor vehicle crashes, as well as on post-crash care, an element of the Safe System Approach to roadway safety.
Like RHIhub, the National Center for Rural Road Safety (the Center) holds that fatal and serious injury crashes are preventable. Rural practitioners can use the new toolkit to connect their communities and stakeholders to current and reliable resources and tools that help address rural safety issues.
“We are excited to share this new resource with our Rural Champions and on our website,” said Jaime Sullivan, the Center’s director. “This rural health information clearinghouse and toolkit can help inform practitioners about resources that are readily available in rural communities across the country and equip them to save lives.”
RHIhub, formerly the Rural Assistance Center, is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The toolkit was compiled in a partnership with the NORC Wash Center for Rural Health Analysis. Learn more about RHIhub and the toolkit at www.ruralhealthinfo.org.
To learn more about the National Center for Rural Road Safety and to become a Road Safety Champion, visit us at ruralsafetycenter.org.
