National Trauma Awareness Month 2023

Join the ATS all month long to celebrate Trauma Survivors and the professionals who directly impact patient care

National Trauma Awareness Month launched in 1988 when the ATS and Congress established May as National Trauma Awareness Month (NTAM). Now in it is the 35th year of NTAM and our efforts continue to provide themed prevention programs and education for all ages. Through this campaign, the ATS was the first organization to advocate for the prevention of “Red Light Running”. Subsequent years have highlighted the risks of falls, distracted driving, violence prevention, firearm violence prevention, sports injuries and many other important injury prevention topics. We are excited to celebrate 35 years of trauma prevention efforts, join us this May as we continue the tradition.

Once again,the American Trauma Society (ATS) and The Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) have come together in the development of the annual National Trauma Awareness Month (NTAM) campaign. With a documented rise in motor vehicle crashes and fatalities throughout our nation, the theme “Roadway Safety Is No Accident“ is both timely and appropriate for our trauma centers to promote. Injury and Violence Prevention Professionals throughout our nation have been responding to the rise in motor vehicle related injuries and deaths. Our roadways continue to become over crowded, drivers are more distracted now than ever before, and safety hazards are growing, thus contributing to this rapidly evolving crisis . Raising awareness and supporting prevention efforts is more important now than ever. This year’s committee chose five areas to focus prevention efforts on including:

• Passenger Advocacy
• Distracted Driving
• Experience
• Impairment
• Traffic Safety

This year, the ATS and STN have partnered to provide a toolkit with resources for each of our focus areas, in addition, to two webinars. Learn more.