The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has unveiled a new dashboard designed to tackle firearm violence in the state. The platform provides detailed, county-specific data on violent deaths and firearm-related injuries, including incident types like homicides and suicides, as well as the weapons used, as reported by the IDPH. The initiative aims to drive targeted, data-based prevention strategies.
"Firearm violence is a public health crisis that requires public health solutions," Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the IDPH, made sure to point out, according to the IDPH. He emphasized the need to modernize the way we collect and use data, as this is crucial to comprehensively address firearm violence. With a strategic partnership involving the Joyce Foundation and Understory Consulting, IDPH is looking to utilize this dashboard to help drive policies and programs that will bolster community safety and health.
The dashboard is backed by funding from the Joyce Foundation, a prominent supporter of public policies focused on racial equity and economic mobility. Its design was developed by Understory, a consulting firm known for its expertise in human rights and equity initiatives.
Data-wise, the dashboard's fuel comes from two surveillance systems funded by the CDC. These sources include the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System (IVDRS) from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and emergency department data from IDPH's syndromic surveillance. This comprehensive data set aims to directly inform those who can make a critical difference on the ground. "We need data to identify public health problems so we can develop, scale and evaluate interventions to reduce violence. This dashboard puts critical data in the hands of people who can make a difference," Northwestern's Maryann Mason told IDPH.
Since 2015, 89% of firearm-related deaths in Illinois have involved men. Firearm suicides and accidental deaths have remained steady, but homicides spiked in 2020 and 2021. Firearms were used in 84% of homicides and 57% of violent deaths among individuals under 18. Chicago has the highest rate of non-fatal firearm injuries, with Black residents facing a rate over ten times higher than White residents.
