Safe States Alliance Receives National Recognition for Violence Prevention

ATLANTA, May 30, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The Safe States Alliance was awarded an "NVDRS Partner Award" in recognition of exemplary support for developing and improving the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) as a valuable resource for violent death data at the recent NVDRS National Conference in Milwaukee, WI. Paul Bonta, Senior Policy Consultant for Safe States, accepted the award on behalf of Safe States and all its members working to position NVDRS as the go-to data resource for violent death prevention efforts.

"We are honored to accept this award in recognition of our longtime commitment to promoting the importance of and strengthening the NVDRS as a critical component of a public health approach to violence prevention. But our role is far from done, and we will continue to work with our national partners by adding a workgroup focused on securing additional resources for program infrastructure, growth, and innovation," said Richard Hamburg, executive director for Safe States. 

The NVDRS is a state-based surveillance system that pools more than 600 unique data elements from multiple sources to create a more complete picture of the circumstances surrounding violent deaths. NVDRS collects facts from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports, law enforcement reports, and toxicology reports into one anonymous database. The data elements provide valuable context about violent deaths, such as relationship problems; mental health conditions and treatment; toxicology results; and life stressors, including recent money- or work-related or physical health problems. In a time when instances of violence are on the rise, timely, quality data is critical to developing prevention programs and initiatives.

Over the last decade, Safe States has been an instrumental partner and champion for implementing and expanding NVDRS, now in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Since 2011, Safe States has convened partners, educated policymakers on the need for continued and expanded funding, and developed resources to ensure states have the tools necessary to maintain a robust program that can build the evidence base required to inform the design and implementation of state-based violence prevention programs. 

Highlighting collective lessons learned,  Safe States published, "NVDRS Following Nationwide Implementation - A Review of the History, Successes and Challenges" in 2020. Learn more about Safe States and access other national reports, state-based resources, and tools to support the implementation of NVDRS here.

Formed in 1993, the Safe States Alliance is the only national non-profit organization and professional association comprised of public health injury and violence prevention professionals representing all U.S. states and territories. Safe States' mission is to strengthen the practice of injury and violence prevention and be the recognized leader and driving force in understanding and preventing injuries and violence, a leading cause of death for ages 1-64 in the U.S.

Source: Safe States Alliance