This smoke alarm was destroyed in a home fire, but not before it saved the lives of the family living there.

April 1 is the start of National Public Health Week, and the American Public Health Association wants everyone to know that public health programs provide a solid return on investment by saving lives, preventing injuries and protecting property whether at home or on the go.

 

So what does public health do for you? Here are a few examples:

 

Fire and smoke protection: It's been 50 years since Duane Pearsall, a Denver businessman, invented the smoke detector, and in that time, the device has become one of the most important home safety tools in recent history, saving tens of thousands of lives and preventing debilitating injuries by giving families an early warning and chance to escape a home fire.

 

The majority of fire-related deaths happen at home and, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), two-thirds of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or with alarms that don't work. NFPA recommends installing a smoke alarm in every sleeping area and on every floor of a home, including the basement. Even if a home already has smoke alarms, residents should test them monthly to make sure they are working. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) works with local fire departments across the state to install working smoke alarms in high-risk housing. Since 2007, the program has installed 20,956 alarms in 13,504 houses. Fifty-four of those homes had a fire and 150 people escaped without injury.

 

Falls: Each year, one in three adults age 65 and older will experience a fall. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among adults 65 and older, and they can also result in painful, costly injuries such as hip fractures or head injuries. In 2010, the National Council on Aging estimated that falls in this population cost the U.S. health care system $28.2 billion.

 

To prevent the human and economic toll of falls, public health programs have worked to raise awareness of falls and to promote easy ways to prevent them. Since 2008, DPH has been one of the lead agencies for the Georgia Fall Prevention Coalition, an initiative that works to educate people about fall risk factors and promote prevention strategies, such as improving balance and mobility through exercise, managing medications and eliminating trip hazards in the home.

 

Seat Belts and Car Seats: The seat belt may be one of the most recognizable symbols of the impact of public health. This simple safety device has saved hundreds of thousands of lives since it first appeared in cars more than 50 years ago. According to a University of Georgia study, nearly 90 percent of Georgia drivers wore their seat belts in 2009, up from 74 percent in 1998. For the younger passengers on the roads, child safety seats have also become a ubiquitous life-saving device. About 88 percent of Georgia drivers used child safety seats in 2008, the UGA study showed, which increased from 73 percent in 1998.

 

But public health's victory in this area is far from assured. In 2012, nearly half of the people killed on Georgia's roads were not wearing a seat belt, according to the Governor's Office of Highway Safety. Of the 17 children age 4 and younger killed in traffic accidents in 2008, half were unrestrained, nearly double the proportion from 2007. Not wearing seat belts is not only a deadly problem, it's an expensive one. According to APHA, U.S. traffic-related deaths and injuries to drivers and passengers cost $70 billion in medical costs and lost productivity in just one year.

 

DPH has steered projects to encourage Georgians to protect themselves on the road by using these safety devices. The Child Occupant Safety Project gives child safety seats to income-eligible families in 154 Georgia counties. The Rural Roads Campaign works to decrease deaths and injuries by encouraging travel safety measures like seat belt usage. The program's pilot project for increasing seat belt usage among high-risk rural teen drivers increased seat belt usage from 51 percent to a post-intervention average of 74 percent, saving an estimated lifetime economic cost of $977,000 for each traffic fatality prevented. 

 

When public health works well, it can be easy to forget it's there. But a careful look around your home or your community reveals that public health is everywhere, protecting you and your family and neighbors. And while public health protects your life, it also saves you money.