• Older adult falls contribute to: the state and national burden of traumatic brain injury (TBI); hip, and other lower extremity fracture; reduced ability to live independently; increased risk of future falls; and an increased fear of falling.
• Annual medication reviews, vision exams, and patient counseling on home safety, engagement in physical activity and vitamin D supplementation show promise for fall prevention, and have been included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) fall prevention toolkit. The STEADI toolkit provides clinical assessments, fact sheets, training videos, case studies, and patient education materials.
• The Adult Falls Prevention Coordinator collaborated with the NM Adult Falls Prevention Coalition to conduct falls risk screenings and awareness-raising events.
• The Adult Falls Prevention Coordinator provided capacity-building support to clinicians, community health workers/community health representatives, and older adults to integrate the STEADI toolkit recommendations in health systems and communities to create sustainable changes for injury prevention and health promotion and education.

• NM Adult Falls Prevention Coalition
• Aging and Long Term Services Department Aging and Disability Resource Center
• University of NM Health System
• Indian Health Service
• NM State University Kinesiology and Dance
• Presbyterian Health System
• CHRISTUS St. Vincent Outpatient Services
• NM Primary Care Association
• NM Healthy Aging Collaborative
• NM Injury Prevention Coalition
• Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center

Best practices include clinical assessments implemented using the STEADI toolkit for adults aged 65 years and older to identify those adults who are at an increased risk for falls and offer effective strategies to reduce those risks. The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) supports five evidence-based falls prevention/exercise programs: STEADI, OTAGO, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance, A Matter of Balance, and Tai Chi for Arthritis. These practices include:

• Conducting annual screenings for strength and balance. 
• Providing annual medication reviews and management for older adults.
• Conducting annual vision exams for older adults.
• Providing patient counseling on home and environmental safety.
• Providing education and referrals to older adults for physical activity classes such as Matter of Balance (MOB), OTAGO, or Tai Chi.
• Reviewing vitamin D supplementation as appropriate.

• Expand the network of instructors available state-wide for evidence-based falls prevention exercise programs. 
• Increase the number of professionals trained on the use of the STEADI toolkit.

NMDOH Epidemiology and Response Division, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau will work with community partners to increase the number of health care providers and others who provide services to older adults to become trained in the CDC fall prevention toolkit to the FY17 target of 700. The Adult Falls Prevention Program will:

• Q1: 0 health care providers trained in the STEADI toolkit. Completed.
• Q2: 54 health care providers trained in the STEADI toolkit. Completed.
• Q3: 54 health care providers trained in the STEADI toolkit. Completed.
• Q4: 406 health care providers trained in the STEADI toolkit. Completed.

The total number of health care professionals trained in STEADI fall prevention toolkit for FY17 was 514, which was lower than the target.