WASHINGTON, DC -- In an effort to help the Rhode Island Department of Health improve its surveillance system for violent death and injuries, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the state will receive $135,000 for the Rhode Island Violent Death Reporting System (RIVDRS). This federal funding will allow RIVDRS to continue tracking violent deaths and provide policy makers with scientific data that can aid prevention efforts.

From 2004-2006, 718 violent deaths occurred in Rhode Island.

"This federal funding will enable the Rhode Island Department of Health to continue to gather critical information that can help inform violence prevention planning in Rhode Island and across the country," said Reed, a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees federal funding for Department of Health and Human Services programs. "Maintaining this surveillance system will help identify patterns of violence and help reduce it in the long run."

The Rhode Island Department of Health was first funded for violent death reporting in August 2003, the second year of the national project, the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). This system includes homicides, suicides, deaths with undetermined intent, and unintentional firearms deaths. The project is performed as a joint effort of the Rhode Island Department of Health Office of State Medical Examiners (OSME) and the Center for Health Data and Analysis (CHDA).

Senator Reed and several of his colleagues sent a letter in April 2008 requesting additional funding for NVDRS for fiscal year 2009.

The senators wrote: "Each year more than 50,000 Americans suffer violent death. Despite this staggering loss of life, most communities lack data about the circumstances of these deaths. Through its coordinated network of state-based surveillance systems, NVDRS enables participating states to collect uniform, detailed information about violent deaths. We believe that support for NVDRS is highly cost-effective and invaluable to the long-term success of local efforts to better understand, and ultimately reduce, violent deaths in our communities."

NVDRS is currently active in 17 states and collects and links data from public health, law enforcement, medical examiners, and social service agencies to develop effective strategies to prevent violent death, including those caused by suicide, homicide, child abuse, and domestic violence.