New York Violent Death Reporting System (NYVDRS) Bureau of Occupational Health and Injury Prevention Kitty Gelberg, Ph.D., MPH

Background NYVDRS is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York State NYVDRS is an incident-based reporting system that collects information from multiple sources to better understand the circumstances of violent deaths. Confidentiality: Only summarized data may be presented or published. No individuals will be publicly identified No case-specific data may be released No family members will be contacted as a result of this data transfer.

In 2014, New York became one of 32 states participating in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)There are now 42 states and one territory funded. The goal is to include eventually all 50 states, all US territories, and the District of Columbia in the system.

What is the New York Violent Death Reporting System (NYVDRS)? NYVDRS is the only place in NYS where data from various sources is combined into one usable, anonymous database NYVDRS data describe the “who, when, where, and how” of violent deaths. This can lead to a better understanding of the “why”.

What is a “violent” death? 2014 NYC Upstate NY NYS N % Suicides 513 47.0 1,111 76.0 1,624 63.6 Homicides 348 31.9 280 19.2 628 24.6 Death of undetermined intent 223 20.4 60 4.1 283 11.1 Death from legal intervention 7 0.6 5 0.3 12 0.5 Death related to terrorism Accidental death due to firearm 1 0.1 6 0.4 TOTAL 1,092 1,462 2,554

Additional Information from NYVDRS Toxicology Results Circumstances Present Upstate (582) NYC (393) Alcohol 182 133 Antidepressants 111 45 Benzodiazepines 119 60 Cocaine 19 Marijuana 84 38 Anticonvulsants 26 11 Opiates 102 50 Antipsychotics 23 14 Life Stressors Upstate (1,012) NYC (541) Criminal legal 53 5 Civil legal 33 2 Physical health 172 32 Job problem 59 22 Financial problem 13 Eviction 17 8 Death of friend/family 36

Other Information Means Demographics Wound Drowning, Fall, Firearm, Hanging, MV, Poisoning, Sharp instrument Firearm: Type, Caliber/gauge, Make, Model, Stored loaded, Gun owner Demographics Sexual orientation, Military, Education level, Marital status, Sex Wound Number, Location

Questions that may be answered by NYVDRS What life crisis most commonly precedes a suicide in the elderly (65+)? Are suicides more common among those with a terminal disease? Are suicides occurring among those with dementia? What percent of suicides are homicide/suicides? How many suicide victims made previous attempts? What proportion of violent deaths occur among the LGBTQ community? What proportion of suicides are drug-related? How often are suicides precipitated by another crime?

Example How many suicides are occurring among people with diagnosed mental health conditions? (*preliminary data 2015, Upstate NY) Diagnosis Number (n = 310) Percent ADD 3 1.0 Anxiety disorder 9 3.0 Bipolar disorder 37 12.0 Depression 237 76.4 PTSD 6 1.9 Schizophrenia 14 4.5

We cannot do this alone….. We must create partnerships….. We could save a life working together! Note: In Upstate NY, 389 suicides have circumstance information from C/ME, 653 suicides have circumstance information from LE www.health.ny.gov/statistics/prevention/injury_prevention/nvdrs/index.htm For more information on the New York Violent Death Reporting System contact: (518) 402-7900 Kitty.Gelberg@health.ny.gov