The Texas Department of State Health Services is excited to announce the 2025 Texas Injury Prevention Conference will be held November 4-5, 2025, in Austin, Texas.   

The conference will take place in person at the Hilton Austin Airport Hotel in Austin, Texas. This year’s theme is “Prevent Today, Protect Tomorrow: Innovating Safety for Stronger Communities.” The Texas Injury Prevention Conference gives injury prevention professionals across the state the opportunity to network and learn from one another about their amazing work in Texas. This conference is a chance to collaborate and discuss innovative solutions and challenges in injury prevention. 

Mark Your Calendars
Date: November 4-5, 2025
Location: Hilton Austin Airport Hotel, Austin, Texas

Register Now!

Call for Proposals
Our call for presentation or workshop proposals is now open! DSHS invites you to become an active participant in the conference by submitting a presentation proposal or an expression of interest for a workshop. Presentations are capped at one hour, and workshops are more than an hour. Proposals must be submitted no later than Friday, August 8, 2025. We will email notifications within two weeks of the proposal deadline. If accepted, proposal presentations will be due October 3, 2025.

Proposal Submission

Have questions? Please reach out to Innovation Event Management by emailing injuryprevention@iemshows.com or calling 512-358-1000, and we will be happy to assist you.

We hope to see you at the 2025 Injury Prevention Conference!

Five Hot Car Deaths in Texas 

Updated 08/06/2025

As of August 4, 2025, there have been 20 pediatric vehicular heatstroke (PVH) deaths in the U.S. during 2025, including five in Texas. The five Texas PVH deaths occurred between June 27-July 29, 2025, in Brownsville, Mission, Houston, San Antonio, and Poteet (noheatstroke.org).

Pediatric vehicular heatstroke is preventable.

The Texas Heatstroke Task Force urges Texans to A.C.T.

A – Avoid heatstroke-related injury. Never leave a child alone in a car, not even during a quick trip to the store. Always lock your doors and trunks – including in your driveway or garage. If a child is missing, check the pool and water sources first, then check vehicles, including trunks.

C – Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child’s seat when it’s empty and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Or, place and secure your phone, briefcase, or purse in the back seat when traveling with your child.

T – Take Action. If you see a child alone in a car, take action. Call 911.

It Can Happen to Anyone: What Happens in Your Brain When You Forget Your Child in the Car

Often, people ask how someone could forget their child in the car or say they would never forget their child in the car. In actuality, it can happen to anyone. In a July 19 Huffington Post article, shared by the Texas Heatstroke Task Force, memory expert Dr. David Diamond of the University of South Florida explains the competing types of memory systems we all have in our brains and how they could affect caregivers who have forgotten a child in the car.  According to Dr. Diamond, there is a power struggle between our conscious memory and our subconscious taking place.  “What we have is this autopilot system in our brain that permits us to multitask, it permits us to do things automatically, almost subconsciously, which means we can get to point A to point B, out of habit,” Diamond said.  “And in the process of triggering this autopilot system, we lose awareness of a competing memory system, which is our conscious memory system.”

The combination of subconscious habits and the stress of being a caretaker for a young child make it more likely someone could unintentionally and unknowingly leave a child in the car. The article emphasizes the importance of creating reminders to check for your child in the car and to remember that this can happen to anyone. "It's easy to judge, much tougher but important to understand how it happens," said Diamond. 

For additional resources, visit the Safe Riders Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke Dangers in Texas page and download the Keeping Kids Safe from Heatstroke in Hot Cars infographic in English and Spanish.

Back to School Safety

Published 08/01/2025

Keep kids safe and healthy when heading back to school and year-round. The National Safety Council’s (NSC) Back-to-School Safety Checklist includes recommendations for safe transportation and school safety.

Practice transportation safety:

• Walking to school – Review your family’s walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child.
• Riding a bicycle to school – Teach your child the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route to school with your child. 
• Riding the bus to school – Teach your children school bus safety rules and review with them. 
• Driving your child to school – Stay alert and avoid distracted driving.
• Helping teen drivers – Practice with new drivers and set a good example; drive the way you want your teen to drive. 

Practice school safety:

• Preventing backpack-related injuries – Choose a backpack for your child carefully; it should have ergonomically designed features to enhance safety and comfort.
• Preventing playground-related injuries – To reduce strangulation hazards on playgrounds, have your child leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home

Injury and Violence Prevention Epidemiology Data Products Now Available

Published 08/01/2025

Injury and Violence Prevention Epidemiology (IVPE) published data products supporting two other Injury Prevention programs – the Texas Violent Death Reporting System (TVDRS) and Texas Overdose Data to Action (TODA). These data products include information on Texas suicide deaths and suspected drug poisoning-related emergency department visits in Texas. Monthly suspected drug poisoning-related emergency department visit reports are available for January – May 2025. These data products provide valuable information to stakeholders working to reduce drug poisonings and suicide deaths in Texas. You can view the data products on the IVPE page. Learn more about the programs’ work and find additional resources on the TODA and TVDRS pages.    

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day

Published 08/01/2025

International Overdose Awareness Day takes place every August 31. It is a day of action to bring awareness to drug poisoning prevention solutions. This year’s theme is “One Big Family, Driven by Hope.” The emphasis is the impact drug poisoning has not only on individuals and families, but also on communities. Drug poisoning solutions should be community-based.

Texas Overdose Data to Action (TODA) recognizes the impact drug poisoning has on Texas communities. On International Overdose Awareness Day and throughout the year, TODA works to reduce drug poisonings in Texas. TODA provides education and links to educational resources for communities and professionals. TODA helps connect communities to free and reduced-cost naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid poisoning, through their Texas Naloxone Locator Map. 

Visit the links below to learn more about drug poisoning prevention:

• International Overdose Awareness Day
• Texas Overdose Data to Action
• One Pill Kills Campaign – the Governor’s Office
• One Pill Kills – Texas Health and Human Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 5 Things to Know About Naloxone
• CDC How to Administer Naloxone Tutorial Video

TODA Partners with Naloxone Texas to Expand Community Naloxone Access and Distribution.

Published 08/01/2025

Texas Overdose Data to Action (TODA) and Naloxone Texas are providing free naloxone vending machines, dispenser stands, and wall boxes to expand naloxone distribution in Texas communities. Communities can reference the Naloxone Distribution Checklist to assess readiness and learn TODA-recommended best practices. Communities can apply for naloxone containers through the Naloxone Distribution Container Application. 

Not sure if there is a naloxone distribution hub in your community? Check out our Naloxone Locator Map. 

For additional information or questions regarding TODA’s naloxone distribution efforts, please contact us at toda@dshs.texas.gov.