CDC Grant: Enhancing Timely Firearm Injury Surveillance via Emergency Departments (FASTER)

Applicant uses the national ESSENCE platform for their syndromic surveillance data management on or before the application due date.
Applicant collects and accesses data on a minimum of 75% of emergency department (ED) visits occurring within their state at the time of application, including visits from a minimum of 90% of Level 1-3 trauma centers. The percentage of all ED visits and Level 1-3 trauma centers in the state collected by their surveillance system (e.g., currently, 75% of all ED visits in the state are reported into NSSP ESSENCE) should be specified.
Applicant confirms required access to NSSP ESSENCE data.
Applicant confirms that the state NSSP staff will manage the authorization process for future CDC users.

Applications that do not meet these criteria will be considered non-responsive and will not move forward for review.
Only one award will be given per state to avoid duplication of data submission efforts. States are encouraged to collaborate with local health departments within their state to increase their syndromic surveillance system coverage at the time of application.

Applicant uses the national ESSENCE platform for their syndromic surveillance data management on or before the application due date.
Applicant collects and accesses data on a minimum of 75% of emergency department (ED) visits occurring within their state at the time of application, including visits from a minimum of 90% of Level 1-3 trauma centers. The percentage of all ED visits and Level 1-3 trauma centers in the state collected by their surveillance system (e.g., currently, 75% of all ED visits in the state are reported into NSSP ESSENCE) should be specified.
Applicant confirms required access to NSSP ESSENCE data.
Applicant confirms that the state NSSP staff will manage the authorization process for future CDC users.

Applications that do not meet these criteria will be considered non-responsive and will not move forward for review.
Only one award will be given per state to avoid duplication of data submission efforts. States are encouraged to collaborate with local health departments within their state to increase their syndromic surveillance system coverage at the time of application.

Firearm deaths and injuries are a serious public health problem in the United States. In 2018 (the latest year of available data), 39,740 people died as a result of a firearm-related injury. Many more people suffer nonfatal firearm-related injuries. People hospitalized with non-fatal gunshot wounds often experience long-term consequences, including physical disabilities and chronic mental health problems from conditions such as post-traumatic-stress disorder. The economic impact of firearm injury and mortality is also substantial, costing the United States billions of dollars each year in medical and lost productivity costs alone. An understanding of the full extent of the problem is crucial to informing prevention strategies and reducing future incidents.Timely state- and local-level data on ED visits for nonfatal firearm injuries are currently limited. The collection of near real-time data on emergency department visits for nonfatal firearm injuries overall and by intent (intentional self-directed, unintentional, and assault-related) at the state- and local-level could improve state and local practitioners’ ability to identify and respond to emerging public health problems.The goal of this NOFO is for recipients to improve the timeliness of surveillance of ED visits for nonfatal firearm injuries. Collaboration will include sharing data in order to improve syndrome definitions, data collection methods, analysis of surveillance data, and presentation and dissemination of findings. This NOFO will serve as a pilot to demonstrate the feasibility of monitoring nonfatal firearm injuries using syndromic surveillance data. Additionally, this collaborative NOFO will result in tools and methods that can be used by state and local health departments across the nation to rapidly track and respond to firearm injuries.Specifically, recipients are asked to:1. Increase the timeliness of aggregate reporting of emergency department visits for nonfatal firearm injuries. 2. Disseminate surveillance findings to key stakeholders working to prevent or respond to firearm injuries. Enhanced surveillance will provide the timely data on nonfatal firearm injuries that key stakeholders need to inform and improve prevention and response efforts.

Demonstrate use of the national ESSENCE platform for their syndromic surveillance data management on or before the application due date.
Collect and access data on a minimum of 75% of ED visits occurring in their state at the time of application. Applicants must list in the application the percentage of all ED visits in the state collected by their surveillance system (e.g., currently, 75% of all ED visits in the state are reported into NSSP ESSENCE).
Confirm required access to data sets through a required surveillance LOS or MOU from the staffing unit or supervisor supplying NSSP ESSENCE data.

Section 392(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended [42 USC § 280b-0(a)(1)]
Eligible entities include state governments or their bona fide agents (includes the District of Columbia), local governments or their bona fide agents, territorial governments or their bona fide agents in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.