More than 1,600 Albertans die every year from injury-related deaths, which averages out to 4.6 deaths per day.
The Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research (ACICR) is on a mission to reduce the amount of injury-related deaths and to create societal awareness of the risks, issues and dangers of injuries in communities throughout Alberta.
The ACICR is a grant program that provides funding to projects that aim to reduce injuries and raise public awareness of injuries. The organization has distributed approximately $2.8 million in financial support to more than 136 communities and 497 projects since its inception in 1998. Applicants can apply for up to $15,000 to address issues such as: suicide, traffic-related injury, falls, drowning, farm injuries and sports-related injuries.
“The intent is to raise the issue of injury prevention through the whole social order and to try to make people aware of actions and behaviours that cause injury,” explains grants program co-ordinator, John Fisher.
“We want people to know that the fund is available.”
The deadline to apply for larger grants of up $15,000 is June 2. Smaller grants of up to $4,000 are available year-round. These grants assist communities to take action to resolve local injury problems. Fisher says that the ACICR receives approximately 50 applications each year, 93 per cent of which are accepted by the organization.
Fisher explains that the organization assists with many issues, such as seniors incurring physical injuries from falling – an issue that the ACICR assists with through creating walking and balancing programs to encourage senior exercise.
Traffic issues are another recurring issue for the ACICR, which will create a report and study about local traffic issues for communities, who can then take the reports to the government’s attention.
Previous projects the ACICR has assisted include: a seniors’ recreation park, lifejacket loaner stations and concussion-monitoring football helmets.
For more information about the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and Research, and grant information, visit www.acicr.ca.
