Centro Nacional de Prevención de Accidentes

The Centro Nacional para la Prevención de Accidentes - CENAPRA - (National Center for Accidents Prevention) is an especialized unit from Secretaría de Salud responsible for managing the national policy on prevention of injuries caused by accidents; dealing with public, private, and social matters involved in this topic, and coordinate the Consejos Estatales para la Prevención de Accidentes (States Councils for Accidents Prevention) from each of the 32 States; implement strategic actions to reduce the mortality rate due to road and accidental injuries, in benefit of the Mexican Population.

Due to the modifications made to the Secretaría de Salud Internal Regulations, published on november the 29th 2006 in the Diario Oficial de la Federación (Official Gazette), The CENAPRA is attached to the control span of the Subsecretaría de Prevención y Promoción de la Salud (Prevention and Health Promotion Ministry).

CENAPRA's holder has the authority to act as Technical Ministry from the Consejo Nacional para la Prevencion de Accidentes - CONAPRA (National Council for Accidents Prevention), and coordinate the strategic actions defined in it.

Functions

• Propose to the Subsecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion the sessions schedule and the agenda of activities from the CENAPRAS; call to sessions regulary as established on the internal regulations from the National Council.

• Represent the Consejo Nacional para la Prevención de Accidentes (National Council for Accidents Prevention) before the federal authorities, for the definition, monitoring and evaluation of strategies.

• Inform regulary about technical and administrative issues of its competition, as may be required under current regulations.

• Advise the heads of the Accidents Prevention Councils on programs development, implement of strategies and results evaluations.

• Lead the development and evaluation on each state according to their epidemiological overview in order to ensure the best practices on injuries caused by accidents prevention matters.

• Establish the goals and indicators that allow the evaluation of the output resulted from the actions implemented to prevent accidents and feedback the Accidents Prevention Councils about their performance.

• Assist in the strategic planning that allows to decrease health damage resulting from accidents on kids and teenagers and accidents related to the consumption of alcoholic drinks and drugs; along with the Centro Nacional de Atención a la Infancia (National Center for Attentionen to Childhood and Adolescence) and the Consejo Nacional para las Adicciones (Nacional Council for Addictions).

• Propose to the superior and upper heads coordination, collaboration and consultation agreements with the units and institutions from the Government levels; as well as public, private, national, international and social organizations that impulse the policys and strategies implemented by CENAPRA on accidents prevention matter.

• Sponsor the research on accidental injuries prevention and attention to collect scientific evidence that allows making desicions on the statute of focused interventions.

• Advise the States, if required, on the implementation of the Pre-hospital Attention of Medical Care Model, to improve urgency and medical standardize services.

• Collaborate to define and elaborate materials for training personnel that performs activities along with the Head Office of Health Promotion.

• Issue manuals and guides for the training of First Aids Responders and evaluate the results, along with the State Councils for Accidents Prevention.

• Participate in the accreditation of Medical Emergencies Technicians, under the criteria established in the Agreement 286 of the Secretaría de Educación Pública (Public Education Ministry), in order to integrate the professional profile minimun required for the personnel providing Pre-hospital Attention and Medical care services and hasn't taken any formal course (NOM 237 SSA1 2004).

• Evaluate graphic, audiovisual and educational communication materials used by State Councils for Accidents Prevention along with the Head Office of Health Promotion and the Head Office of Social Communication, in order to equalize and spread the educational contents.