Injury Free Celebrates Criticized Super Bowl Ad

February 4, 2015 - Injury Free Coalition for Kids National Office

A time of cheers, toasting, and laughter came to a brief halt during a sobering 60 second Nationwide Insurance Company commercial about a boy who died from a preventable injury. It was a departure from the standard "Feel Good, humorous, upbeat" marketing approach usually taken during high profile sports activities, and it caused commotion. From early morning talk shows to late night variety programs, on Facebook, Twitter and on Instagram, the spot created a great deal of discussion. The reaction unveiled a much needed platform to raise awareness and elevate the conversation around injury prevention for children.

Understanding that childhood injury is the number one cause of hospitalization and death for young people, the Injury Free Coalition for Kids ® commends Nationwide for using the high visibility Super Bowl to raise awareness about the need to prevent childhood injuries.

"The physicians of our organization treat injured children across the country every day," Dr. Barbara Barlow, the founder and executive director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids explained. "They work in clinics, emergency departments and operating rooms doing their best to save lives, and they know that in many cases the injuries could have been prevented."

"Injuries, like other Illness, are preventable. All too often injuries to children are thought of as inevitable or fate but they can be controlled" says Dr. Michael J. Mello, Injury Free Coalition for Kids Board President; "for the past twenty years Injury Free Coalition for Kids and its forty member hospitals have not only worked to treat pediatric trauma but also to control its occurrences"

Motor vehicle crashes, home related injuries, fires, drowning and fire arm injuries are among the most common preventable injuries that are killing and hospitalizing young people. "Everyone can play a role in creating change," Barlow said. To learn how you can make a difference and find advocates who can help you go to www.injuryfree.org.

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Injury Free Coalition for Kids ®

The Injury Free Coalition for Kids is located in the Center for Injury Epidemiology and Prevention at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. It is among the country's most effective injury prevention programs. Injury Free is comprised of hospital-based, community-oriented injury prevention sites whose efforts are anchored in research, education, and advocacy. Located in all of the countries Federal Trauma Regions, there are 39 sites across 30 states and one international site in Ontario Canada. Each site is housed in the trauma center of its participating institution. They are all independent, physician-led programs driven by the Coalition's mission: preventing injury to children. While research determines where the injuries take place and which ones most prevalent and severe, most of the injuries addressed occur in urban environments, and Coalition members work to empower the diverse populations who live there.