STATE health departments engage in many prevention activities. Their major area,s of interest are research and analysis; training and education of staff, other professionals, and the public; direct sa,fety services in institutions operated or supervised by the health department; special prevention services, such as poison control, and technical consultation to other agencies; and coordination of and cooperation in the activities of State governments and voluntary organizations. The prevention program of a State health department usually includes general prevention, such as inculcation of safe attitudes, discussion of topics such a,s accident susceptibility, and attention to special fields, such as home, traffic, work, recreation, and school safety. Accident prevention programs and activities in Region IX of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, with headquarters in San Francisco, vary with each State. Some States have very little activity; others have a significant amount in certain fields. In none of them, however, is the program formally organized, well-defined, or headed by a full-time director. Much more can be done and will be done in every State in the region. The direction of the prevention program of each State health department has been influenced by the magnitude oif the problem, statutory obligations, and the special interest of the health department. In one State, more attention has been paid to home accidents because in that State there have been more injuries and deaths from this cause than from any other. In several States, the health department has not entered the field of industrial safety because the State labor department has sole responsibility in industrial accidents. The health departments of some States have felt more comfortable working with home accidents than in the traffic field because their experience in other programs has taken them into the home. The status of activities and programs in prevention in Region IX is summarized in this report. Region IX comprises Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and the Territory of Guam.