Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Advancing Violence Epidemiology in Real-Time: Goergia's Approach (AVERT-GA) - Firearm-related injuries and deaths are serious public health problem in the United States (US) and Georgia. In 2020, 1,781 Georgians died from firearm-related injury, based on the Georgia Violent Death Reporting System (GA-VDRS). Many more Georgians suffered from firearm-related injuries, based on the Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Room: Georgia’s Approach (FASTER-GA), 5,450 firearm-related emergency room (FA-ER) visits occurred in 2020, of which 2,606 were discharged alive. FA-ER visits were higher in men (83%) than women (17%), those aged 15-44 years, and those living in rural counties. In fact, nine out of the top 10 counties with high burden of FA-ER injuries in Georgia were rural counties (2022 FASTER-GA.) While six out of these top 10 counties ranked negatively high on the social vulnerability index (SVI), including socioeconomic vulnerability (i.e., population below 150% poverty level, unemployment, housing cost burden, education, and health insurance), ranging from 85 to 96 percentile compared to other Georgia counties. AVERT-GA project purpose is to 1) increase timeliness of aggregate reporting of emergency department (ED) visits for firearm injuries (regardless of intent), other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions; 2) increase and disseminate data findings timely to partners working to prevent or respond to violence; 3) link ED visits for all violence injuries reported to the Georgia hospital discharge, emergency room, emergency medical services, GA-VDRS, drug overdose (regardless of intent), and local law enforcement; and 3) increase the use of Georgia Syndromic Surveillance (GSS) data to develop data disseminate plan for focusing prevention and response strategies on Georgians at greatest risk. The AVERT-GA project outcomes will capitalize on the FASTER-GA, GA-VDRS, Drug Overdose Data to Action (D2A), and the Cardiff Collaborative to 1) increase the dissemination of rapid, reliable, and geographically- and population-specific, on all violence-related injury data, and mental health conditions. 2) Increase the use of timely information on trends and burden by Georgia partners. 3) Increase the use of geographic, census-tract and the identification of high-risk populations. 4) Increase use of GSS data to develop tailored prevention plans and strategies by partners focused on greatest risk populations with negative health outcomes. AVERT-GA will partner with at least two key partners (City of Atlanta Violence Reduction Initiative and Cardiff Collaborative) working to prevent violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions within their defined communities to effectively design, target, and monitor interventions. Our partners will demonstrate that the use of timely data available from this project will 1) change violent injury outcomes and when coupled with effective and equitable violence prevention programs 2) both morbidity and mortality associated with violence-related injuries and mental health conditions will reduce over time.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).