About AZ-VDRS

Each year, thousands of people in Arizona die by suicide, homicide, or other violent death means. The impact of these deaths affects us all. Even if you have not been personally touched by such a tragedy, the social costs to the community, the burden on law enforcement and the criminal justice system, and the overall quality of life for Arizona residents are adversely impacted by homicides and suicides in our communities. And each one them is preventable.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) administers the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). The CDC describes the program:

The National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) provides states and communities with a clearer understanding of violent deaths to guide local decisions about efforts to prevent violence and track progress over time. NVDRS is the only state-based reporting system that pools data on violent deaths from multiple sources into a usable, anonymous database.

NVDRS largely defines violent deaths as homicides and suicides, but also includes those deaths that are recorded as “undetermined”, by the coroner or medical examiner. The extensive data abstraction process collects information covering all settings, age groups and circumstances of violent deaths. Specific data elements are likely to include “mental health problems; recent problems with a job, finances, or relationships; physical health problems; and information about circumstances of death. Such data is far more comprehensive than what is available elsewhere.” (CDC)

The NVDRS operates by gathering and collating information on violent deaths from three primary sources of data:

1. State health department official death certificate data
2. Medical Examiner (or coroner) reports conducting the autopsy
3. Law enforcement investigation reports from the responsible jurisdiction.

Currently, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico participate in NVDRS. The Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety (CVPCS) is the lead organization coordinating the AZ-VDRS on behalf of Arizona. To learn more about the NVDRS, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nvdrs/.