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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Kathleen M. Monahan, MPH and Patricia F. Meleedy-Rey, MPH. Child Health Data Lab, Children's Memorial Hospital, 2300 Children's Plaza Box 157, Chicago, IL 60614, 312-573-7773, kmonahan@childrensmemorial.org

The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), launched by the CDC in 2003, funds 17 states to collect information on homicides, suicides, and other violent death categories. Illinois launched the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System (IVDRS) in 2005 with funding from the Illinois Department of Public Health and other private sources. Illinois is the first state to fund the project in this way. Illinois accounted for 4.4% of the 2003 US population and for 3.2% of all suicides and 5.4% of all homicides in the US during 2003. IVDRS collects violent death data from Cook, Kane and Peoria counties. Together these counties make up 47% of the Illinois population. Using CDC software, 810 violent deaths in 2005 have been abstracted to date; 53% homicides; 36.5% suicides; 9.1% undetermined. Males comprise 75% of the suicides and 80% of the homicides. Firearms are used in 71% of the homicides we have collected to date. The predominant age group at risk for death from homicide is 20-29 year olds, and 40-59 year olds are most at risk for death from suicide. One full year of death data abstraction will be completed before November, 2006. Detailed death circumstances will be described including demographic, firearm, victim and perpetrator information for suicides, homicides, and other violent death categories. Illinois is a model for other states wishing to develop a violent death reporting system using alternative funding sources.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Identify potential alternative funding sources for a violent death reporting system in their state.
• Compare epidemiological violent death among three distinctly diffferent counties in Illinois -urban, rural, and suburban.

Keywords: Violence, Data Collection

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered