The IBC joins SMARTRISK to reduce injuries nationwide

Canadian p&c insurers recently joined forces with SMARTRISK and other consultative partners, in calling on the federal government to implement the recommendations contained in their National Injury Prevention Strategy “Ending Canada’s Invisible Epidemic: A Strategy for Injury Prevention.”
The research released by Canada’s insurance industry and prevention groups is meant to help save thousands of lives, reduce hospital care expenditures and shrink a $15 billion burden that weighs heavily on the shoulders Canadian taxpayers.
“Every day, about 6,000 Canadians are injured and almost 40 die as a result of their injuries,” Dr. Robert Conn, president and ceo of SMARTRISK, says. “Injuries cost Canadians an estimated $14.7 billion every year in health care expenses and lost productivity. This makes it the fourth highest burden on the health care system.”
Despite the toll, Canada has dedicated very few resources less than 1% of its health research budget to both educating and addressing issues surrounding injury.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) contributed $700,000 to the study, which calls for the creation of the Injury Prevention Centre of Canada. The Centre would collect data and research, and help communities and governments implement effective, evidence-based strategies to reduce injury.
“The effectiveness of injury-prevention initiatives is well established,” Stan Griffin, president and ceo of IBC, says. “But as long as thousands of people are still being injured every day, it is clear that more could be done. It’s a matter of determining what types of injuries are causing the greatest damage, and putting evidence-based strategies in place to avoid those injuries.”
Conn says that through this study they are calling on the federal government to take leadership on this issue and implement their strategy.
“A national strategy will help us save lives and reduce the tremendous burden injury places on our health care system,” Conn says. “Canadians shouldn’t have to spend almost $15 billion each year on injuries, most of which are predictable and preventable.”
The National Injury Prevention Strategy can be implemented for a price of $50 million a year with the potential to save billions of dollars in health care spending and according to Conn this is money that could go to other critical services.
Additional benefits of the strategic plan include reduced wait times for hospital beds and a reduced need for doctors and emergency services as fewer people need to be treated for preventable injuries.
Griffin also called on the federal government to implement the SMARTRISK strategy and added that work must be done to ensure that communities and governments have the support they need to implement this type of life-saving programs.
SMARTRISK and its consultation partners, including IBC, have developed the six pillar injury prevention strategic to work towards a Canada that has the lowest injury rates of any country in the world. The six strategic pillars include:

1. National leadership and coordination through the establishment of an Injury Prevention Centre of Canada (IPCC) as part of the new Public Health Agency of Canada. The IPCC should have a distinct budget and mandate and be solely focused on promoting evidence-based strategies for injury prevention.

2. An effective surveillance system where a National Injury Surveillance Coordinating Committee (NISCC) within the IPCC would monitor injury trends and issue an annual “Injury in Canada” report.

3. Research is an important aspect of prevention so the IPCC would build a cadre of injury researchers and foster the translation of knowledge into action.

4. Community supports and resources are integral to the process and as such the government is being called on to establish a National Injury Prevention Community Fund and a clearinghouse, maintained by the IPCC, thus providing communities with financial resources, information and tools to implement evidence-based injury prevention strategies, and to share information.

5. Policy analysis and development where by which the IPCC would provide governments with expert information and analysis and help facilitate the introduction of evidence-based policies, regulations and programs to reduce the risk for injury in Canada. Activities would include regular scans of international policy to pinpoint new evidence and effective practices, and reviews of domestic policies to identify opportunities for action.

6. Public information and education would help sustain the program to the general public and as such the IPCC will have to develop communication strategies to support the achievement of national injury prevention targets and goals. These strategies should include marketing campaigns, media relations and the development of reference materials.