At a glance
- The Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Rooms (FASTER) Program represents the Division of Violence Prevention’s efforts to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on violence-related emergency department (ED) visits faster than ever before.
- Timely state- and local-level data on emergency department visits for firearm and violence-related injuries can support state and local jurisdictions in identifying and responding to emerging public health problems.
Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Rooms (FASTER) program
The Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Rooms (FASTER) Program encompasses two funding initiatives:
- The FASTER initiative was funded in 2020 and collected near real-time ED data on firearm injuries in 10 states and was funded 9/1/2020 – 8/31/2023.
- The FASTER: Advancing Violence Epidemiology in Real-Time (FASTER: AVERT) initiative was funded in 2023 to collect near real-time ED data on firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions in 12 states for 5 years from 9/1/2023 – 8/31/2028.
The FASTER: AVERT Notice of Funding Opportunity (CDC-RFA-CE-23-0007) expanded on the FASTER initiative to monitor and address not only firearm injury-related emergency department visits, but also other violence-related injuries and mental health conditions. Other violence-related injuries tracked include intimate partner violence, sexual violence, suspected child abuse and neglect, and youth violence.
The collection of near real-time data on ED visits for these conditions at the state and local levels will help jurisdictions respond to and prevent violence. These data can also be used to identify, track, and address disparities in ED visits.
FASTER: AVERT Recipients
- Arizona Department of Health Services
- District of Columbia Department of Health
- Georgia Department of Public Health
- Illinois Department of Public Health
- Kansas Department of Health and Environment
- University of Kentucky Research Foundation
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
- Mississippi State Department of Health
- Oregon Health Authority
- Rhode Island Department of Health
- Utah Department of Health and Human Services
- Washington State Department of Health
Four FASTER: AVERT recipients will also receive supplemental funding to enhance or implement at least one innovative data linkage project. Linking ED data on firearm injuries, other violence-related injuries, and mental health conditions to other data sources will help jurisdictions validate and improve the accuracy of ED data, identify inequities in violence-related ED visits, highlight disproportionately affected populations, and gain individual- and community-level context about violent incidents that could inform the development and implementation of tailored prevention strategies. Jurisdictions receiving supplemental funding are:
- University of Kentucky Research Foundation
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
- Oregon Health Authority
- Rhode Island Department of Health