CDC awards $7.5 million to expand the National Violent Death Reporting System to 32 states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new state awardees for the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). CDC’s $7.5 million in funding will expand NVDRS from 18 to 32 participating states and enable greater collection of critical data on violent deaths.

“More than 55,000 Americans died because of homicide or suicide in 2011. That’s an average of more than six people dying a violent death every hour,” said Daniel M. Sosin, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., acting director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “This is disheartening and we know many of these deaths can be prevented. Participating states will be better able to use state-level data to develop, implement, and evaluate prevention and intervention efforts to stop violent deaths.”

NVDRS is the only state-based violent death reporting system that helps states understand when and how violent deaths occur. NVDRS links data from law enforcement, coroners and medical examiners, vital statistics, and crime laboratories to obtain the most comprehensive data available on homicides and suicides, as well as unintentional firearm injuries. States can use the data to develop tailored prevention and intervention efforts to reduce violent deaths.

Violence-related deaths and injuries cost the United States an estimated $107 billion a year in medical care and lost productivity.

NVDRS Facts:

• NVDRS data provide details on demographics (age, income, education), method of injury, the relationship between the victim and the suspect, and information about circumstances such as depression, financial stressors or relationship problems.
• NVDRS gathers data on all mechanisms of violent injury such as blunt force trauma (physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury, or physical attack) and poisonings.
• NVDRS is the only data system for homicide that collects information from sources outside of law enforcement and that has the capacity to link hospital and other health records.

The 32 states participating in NVDRS include Alaska, Arizona*, Colorado, Connecticut*, Georgia, Hawaii*, Iowa*, Illinois*, Indiana*, Kansas*, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine*, Michigan, Minnesota*, North Carolina, New Hampshire*, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York*, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania*, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Vermont*, Washington*, and Wisconsin. 
*New states

CDC’s Injury Center works to protect the safety of everyone, every day, this includes preventing homicide and suicide and their adverse health consequences to families and communities.

CDC’s partners are also committed to expanding NVDRS. Organizations focusing on injury and violence prevention encouraged states to apply for funding to collect data on violent deaths. They will also provide technical assistance to participating states as they implement data gathering efforts.

For additional information about NVDRS, please see http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nvdrs/index.html.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES