The state Department of Health has received $740,000 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to gather critical data on homicide and suicide using the National Violent Death Reporting System for five years.
The system helps state and local officials understand when and how violent deaths occur by linking data from law enforcement, coroners and medical examiners, vital statistics, and crime laboratories. Using this data, public health practitioners and violence prevention professionals can develop tailored prevention and intervention efforts to reduce violent deaths.
The system provides details on demographics, method of injury, the relationship between the victim and the suspect, and information about circumstances such as depression, financial stressors, or relationship problems. It is the only data system for homicide that collects information from sources outside of law enforcement and that has the capacity to link hospital and other health records.
Hawaii’s use of the system is part of CDC’s expansion of the system from 18 to 32 participating states. For more information, click here.