Fall Prevention Education Program

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Division of Preventive Medicine has developed a comprehensive fall prevention education program that serves senior citizen residents. Since a 2010 partnership with New York State, community organizations, hospital systems, local government agencies, local colleges, and private sector providers, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) provides senior citizens residents a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evidence based falls prevention program Stepping On: Building Confidence and Reducing Falls and a county developed program Staying Independent for Life. In 2014 the Division of Preventive Medicine added a third component to the Falls Prevention program continuum offering tai chi instruction in partnership with the Suffolk County YMCA. In 2014 these programs reached over 2,000 senior citizens in Suffolk County helping these residents prevent falls in the home and live independently. In 2014 the Division of Preventive Medicine launched the Falls Prevention website on the SCDHS internet link promoting the various programs available to senior citizens to meet this critical chronic health care need. In February 2015, the Division of Preventive Medicine, through grant funds provided from the CDC and New York State, sponsored a three day training seminar for 19 providers from six health care organizations to implement fall prevention programs to residents in their communities.