Creating a National Violent Death Reporting System: A Successful Beginning

Following the urgings of many advocates, an IOM report in 1999 called for a national data system on violent death, modeled after that existing for motor-vehicle crashes. The National Violent Death Reporting System now provides rich data on the circumstances of violent deaths in the U.S.; it is the first national system to collect in-depth information on suicides. In November 2008, the system went online (www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/), making data from 17 states available to researchers and the general public. The successful development of this system was the result of a 10-year effort begun with the support of a half-dozen foundations. Key components of the success included a high-quality pilot version of the system and the mobilization of a large, bipartisan coalition of individuals, institutions, and agencies that advocated for federal funding for the system.