The Mississippi State Department of Health is submitting an application to seek funding to provide Data-Driven Strategies and Collaborative Partnerships for Prevention (MS-AVERT). - Project Abstract: Mississippi Violence and Injury Prevention Through Enhanced Surveillance and Targeted Interventions (MS-AVERT) The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) seeks funding to implement the Mississippi Violence and Injury Prevention Through Enhanced Surveillance and Targeted Interventions (MS-AVERT) program. The overall goal of MS-AVERT is to reduce the burden of violence and injury in Mississippi by strengthening surveillance, building partnerships, and implementing evidence-based violence prevention strategies across the state. Mississippi faces a significant public health challenge due to high rates of violence and injury-related morbidity and mortality. Through the MS-AVERT program, MSDH will address these issues by focusing on the following key strategies: • Enhance the timeliness and utility of statewide syndromic surveillance data on firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions. • Disseminate surveillance findings in a timely way to the public and key partners working to prevent or respond to violence. • Strengthen partnerships with coroners, medical examiners, district attorneys, and law enforcement to improve the quality and use of violent death surveillance data. • Geocode surveillance data and link violent death surveillance data with available population datasets to identify high-risk areas and inform targeted interventions. • Enhance and maintain public-facing data dashboards to facilitate data access and utilization. • Work with communities to implement evidence-based violence prevention programs across the state. To achieve these objectives, MSDH will collaborate with a range of partners, including the Mississippi Violent Death Reporting System (MSVDRS), Mississippi Overdose Data to Action (OD2A), Mississippi CORE SIPP, the Office of Epidemiology (which houses the NSSP's Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community Epidemics, or ESSENCE), and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). These partnerships will facilitate the sharing of patient encounter data from emergency departments (EDs), CDC syndrome definitions for firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions, and the implementation of community-level interventions through the Mississippi Violence Injury Prevention (VIP) Program. The MS-AVERT program will employ a robust evaluation framework to monitor progress, assess the effectiveness of interventions, and guide continuous quality improvement efforts. Key performance indicators and evaluation measures will be used to track the impact of the program on reducing the burden of violence and injury in Mississippi. By leveraging the expertise and resources of a diverse group of stakeholders, MS-AVERT aims to create a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of Mississippi's communities. Through enhanced surveillance, targeted interventions, and strong partnerships, the program will contribute to reducing violence and injury, promoting health equity, and improving the quality of life for all Mississippi residents.
