The Indiana Partnership to Prevent Firearm Violence was created in 1999 with funding from the Joyce Foundation and the Developmental Pediatrics Department at Riley Hospital for Children. The Partnership was created to approach firearm violence (homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries/deaths) from a public health perspective, and seeks to reduce firearm injuries and deaths through data collection, education, and research.

In 2005, the Partnership formed an exciting collaborative agreement with the IU School of Law, Hall Center for Law and Health, and changed it’s name to the Indiana Partnership to Prevent Violent Injury and Death. While the largest percentage of violent deaths in the nation and in Indiana result from firearms, the Partnership has broadened it’s mission to include research and education related to violent injuries and deaths, both firearm and non-firearm related.

I wish that I could tell you that all of our goals have been met, and violent injuries and deaths have been significantly lowered. However, this is not the case. Indiana’s rate of death from guns continues to be higher than the national average, as it has been for the past decade. In terms of the Midwest, Indiana ranks second highest behind Kentucky in the rate of death from guns. Sadly, as I write this letter, the number of gun-related homicides in some areas of Indianapolis are higher than they have been in previous years at this time.

While these statistics can be frustrating, we must remember that violence is a complex public health and safety issue that requires a multi-disciplinary approach and requires energy and resources from the entire community over a significant amount of time in order to see reductions.

In that spirit of engaging the community, I am excited to report that the Partnership received a Clarian Values Grant for the purpose of helping educate clergy about suicide and firearm violence prevention. The Partnership is very excited with this development as it creates a new avenue to reach the faith community. The key role clergy play in building community awareness, as well as the unique position they hold to directly impact efforts in the areas of suicide and firearm violence prevention, fits well with the Partnership’s educational and prevention efforts.

Regarding these efforts, data collection continues to be a key component to analyzing and evaluating issues related to violence prevention. The Partnership continues to study the problem and learn more about potential prevention strategies through it’s firearm injury and death data surveillance system, and will explore the idea of broadening data collection to be consistent with the National Violent Death Reporting System housed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In closing, I hope that we all will continue to recognize and respect the enormity of the problem in our community. We must not become apathetic or desensitized to these issues. We must remember that firearm injuries and deaths are preventable, and while the solutions are not easy, each one of us has a role to play. Parents, teachers, health care providers, law enforcement, mental health providers, faith-based leaders must all continue to work together to keep all of our children and families safe.

I look forward to continuing our important work together, and I thank all of you for your continued support of the Partnership’s efforts over the years.

Sincerely,

Marilyn J. Bull, MD
Medical Director, Indiana Violence Prevention Partnership