New York Violent Death Reporting System - In 2020, more than 3,000 violent deaths occurred in New York State (NYS). Statewide, more than one-half of violent deaths (54.4%) were suicides and just over one quarter (30.4%) were homicides. The six counties with the highest number of violent deaths in NYS include four of the five New York City (NYC) counties (Bronx, Kings, New York, and Queens) and two upstate counties (Erie and Suffolk). Although these are the six highest counties by number of deaths, all NYS counties are important for optimal surveillance of violent deaths. The New York Violent Death Reporting System (NYVDRS) will continue to address the need for accurate, timely, and comprehensive surveillance of violent deaths and data analysis by collecting, abstracting, linking, and disseminating data from death certificates, coroner/medical examiner reports including toxicology reports, and law enforcement reports. Comprehensive prevention strategies must rely on detailed information of the who, when, where and how of these violent deaths. Data will be collected for all violent deaths occurring in NYS, including the five counties of NYC using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and web-based data entry system. We will explore other databases such as maternal and child fatality reviews to enhance the data being collected and will work with our partners to ensure the data are being reviewed and utilized to prevent violent deaths in NYS. The main outputs that will be achieved by the end of the funding period include: 1) Continued and expanded use of the NYVDRS to collect high quality and comprehensive data from key partners from across state on all violent deaths in NYS in a timely manner that complies with CDC guidelines; and 2) the dissemination of NYVDRS data, presentations, factsheets, and data briefs to partners and public to inform programs and policies aimed at preventing violence. There are two independent vital registration jurisdictions in NYS: 1) All of NYS, excluding NYC, and 2) NYC. NYC has a centralized jurisdiction with one registrar and a centralized Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). The rest of NYS (upstate) has a combination of county medical examiners and coroners. The strategies to collect and disseminate data differs between NYC and upstate NYS. The two geographically and jurisdictionally situated strategies are inputs to a composite whole. Although data collection is different between upstate NYS and NYC, both will continue to use the CDC case definition of violent deaths coded on the DC as a suicide (ICD-10 X60-X84, Y87.0), a homicide (ICD-10 X85-X99, Y00-Y09, Y87.1), a death of undetermined intent (ICD-10 Y10-Y34, Y87.2), a death from legal intervention (ICD-10 Y35.0-Y35.4, Y35.6-Y35.7, Y89.0), a death related to terrorism (ICD-10 U01-U03), a unintentional death from a firearm (ICD-10 W32-W34, and those cases coded Y86 where a firearm is the source of injury), and those cases coded Y89.9 where the death is later determined to be due to violence or unintentional firearm injury. Additionally, all violent deaths within NYS will be collected. No violent death will be excluded for any reason. The New York State Department of Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene remain deeply committed to implementing NYVDRS. The inclusion of information on all violent deaths occurring in all of New York State will enrich NVDRS and provide necessary data for the city, state, and nation which will be used to inform policy and programs to reduce violence.
