Building on FASTER, the Oregon AVERT project—which includes Strategy 1 and 2 and the optional data linkage and REDIRECT activities—will enhance surveillance of firearm and other violence-related injuries and MH conditions by increasing the timeliness of aggregate reporting on these events and disseminating findings to partners working in related prevention areas. The project will be implemented via a partnership between the Oregon Health Authority (Injury and Violence Prevention and Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention / Preparedness Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, which administers Oregon ESSENCE) and the Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University School of Public Health. By August 31, 2028, the partners will achieve the following short-term outcomes: 1) Increased availability of rapid, reliable, and geographically specific surveillance data on ED visits for firearm injuries of all intents, other violent injuries, and select MH conditions; 2) Improved syndromic surveillance methodology for each of these conditions (including improved operational definitions); 3) Increased dissemination and availability of syndromic surveillance findings and success stories. Intermediate outcomes: 1) Increased use of timely information about trends in ED visits for firearm injuries, other violent injuries, and MH conditions by state and local partners; 2) Increased use of population- and geographically-specific information on trends in ED visits for these syndromes by suicide prevention partners; 3) Increased use of syndromic surveillance data by suicide prevention and other violence prevention partners to develop plans focusing prevention strategies on populations at greatest risk; 4) Availability of up-to-date information on firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and MH conditions to inform national prevention efforts and response strategies; and 5) Improved guidance to other states on these syndromes/conditions. Long
-term outcomes: 1) Increased speed of response to changes in firearm and other violent injuries; 2) Use of enhanced surveillance data to design and target interventions and monitor progress in reducing these injuries; 3) Improved use of surveillance data to inform relevant prevention and response strategies; and 4) Reduced morbidity and mortality associated with firearm and other violent injuries and MH conditions.