Funded Surveillance

Advancing Violence Epidemiology in Real-Time (AVERT) CDC-RFA-CE-23-0007

CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention is funding 12 recipients from CDC-RFA-CE-23-0007, Advancing Violence Epidemiology in Real-Time (AVERT). These recipients will work to improve the timeliness of surveillance data on emergency department (ED) visits for firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions. 

Recipients:

  • Arizona Department of Health Services 
  • District of Columbia Department of Health  
  • Georgia Department of Public Health 
  • Illinois Department of Public Health 
  • Kansas Department of Health and Environment  
  • University of Kentucky Research Foundation 
  • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services  
  • Mississippi State Department of Health  
  • Oregon Health Authority  
  • Rhode Island Department of Health 
  • Utah Department of Health and Human Services 
  • Washington State Department of Health  

AVERT builds on the previously funded Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Rooms (FASTER) initiative by adding new work to conduct near real-time surveillance of other violence-related injuries and mental health conditions. The collection of near real-time data on ED visits for these outcomes at the state and local levels will help jurisdictions identify, respond to, and prevent violence. These data can also be used to identify, track, and address disparities in ED visits for firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions.  

Four AVERT recipients will also receive supplemental funding to enhance or implement at least one innovative data linkage project. Linking ED data on firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions to other data sources will help jurisdictions validate and improve the accuracy of ED data, identify inequities in violence-related ED visits, highlight disproportionately affected populations, and gain individual- and community-level context about violent incidents that could inform the development and implementation of tailored prevention strategies. Jurisdictions receiving supplemental funding are:  

  • University of Kentucky Research Foundation 
  • Michigan Department of Health and Human Services  
  • Oregon Health Authority  
  • Rhode Island Department of Health 

Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Rooms (FASTER) CDC-RFA-CE20-2005

CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention is funding 10 state health departments (up to $225,000 per recipient) as part of a competitively funded initiative to provide surveillance data in near-real time on emergency visits for nonfatal firearm injuries. CDC awarded a total of $2,224,482 distributed among the 10 recipients. Recipients will be funded for 3 years (09/01/2020-08/31/2023).

Recipients

  • District of Columbia Department of Health
  • Florida Department of Health
  • Georgia Department of Public Health
  • New Mexico Department of Health
  • North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
  • Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division
  • Utah Department of Health
  • Virginia Department of Health
  • Washington State Department of Health
  • West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources

Timely state- and local-level data on emergency department visits for nonfatal firearm injuries are currently limited. The collection of near-real-time data on emergency department visits for nonfatal firearm injuries overall and by intent (intentional self-directed, unintentional, and assault-related) can support state and local jurisdictions in identifying and responding to emerging public health problems.

Efforts under this initiative will also result in tools and methods that can be used by state and local health departments around the nation to rapidly track and respond to firearm injuries.