Safe States Alliance Strengthens Public Health Infrastructure With New CDC Award

ATLANTA, August 21, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Safe States Alliance is proud to announce that it has been awarded the new "Creating Safer States by Advancing Health Equity, Injury, and Violence Prevention" award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), funded by its National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

This significant five-year cooperative agreement aims to bolster the injury and violence prevention (IVP) infrastructure and capacity of state health departments (SHDs) and local health departments (LHDs), by providing health equity and IVP technical assistance, training tools, and other essential resources.

According to Richard Hamburg, executive director for Safe States, "This new cooperative agreement builds upon decades of prior federally supported work that has helped position Safe States to play a central role in developing and supporting the strong public health infrastructure required to effectively prevent injuries and violence and create safer, healthier communities." 

Hamburg further stated: "Injuries and violence are inequitably distributed across communities, primarily and adversely impacting vulnerable communities that have been historically marginalized. A central challenge to our organization is to elevate the field of IVP through an anti-racism and health equity lens. This award will allow us to continue to address or improve the factors that persist in economically and socially marginalized populations causing injury and violence-related health inequities.

Through this renewed collaboration, Safe States Alliance solidifies its commitment to providing vital resources to public health departments nationwide. This award will enable the organization to offer technical support and training to help SHDs and LHDs adapt and improve their approaches to health equity and injury and violence prevention.

Safe States Alliance is thrilled to continue supporting and strengthening public health infrastructure to prevent injuries and violence. The organization views this award as a launching pad for opportunities to better serve communities and create a ripple effect of positive change across the nation.

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