In December 1986 the New York State Commissioner of Health, David Axelrod, MD, designated an Injury Control Program within the Division of Epidemiology. This action was in recognition of the importance of injuries as a major public health problem in New York State. The public health importance of injuries is highlighted by the fact that injury particularly affects young and productive members of society as well as the poor and needy who make up the traditional clientele of public health departments. Injury is the leading cause of death in persons under age 35 in New York State and accounts for more years of potential life lost before age 65 than cancer, heart disease or AIDS (Figure 1). Injury is the fourth leading cause of death for all ages and a major cause of hospitalization and disability.

The New York State Health Department's authority to engage in injury control activities derives from four sources: the general powers and duties of the Health Commissioner as described in the New York Public Health Law; specific provisions of the law which direct the Department to engage in discrete injury-related activities, such as burn treatment and poison control; executive orders of the Governor, such as Executive Order #35 establishing the Governor’s Advisory Council on Highway Safety; and the authority of the Public Health Council to promulgate a State Sanitary Code which includes requirements for operation of swimming pools and bathing beaches, temporary residences (including children’s camps), regulations for emergency medical services, and so forth. The Injury Control Program’s major functions are based on the Department’s general authority.