By Kate Blackman

Violence and unintentional injuries—while largely preventable—kill more Americans in the first half of their lives than most diseases, including cancer, HIV and flu.

In addition to high death tolls, nonfatal injury has significant consequences, such as emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Associated medical and lost productivity costs total an estimated $406 billion each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

Deaths and nonfatal injury because of violence and accidents often don’t receive the same attention as other public health issues but clearly have costs and affect quality-of-life in states. States are confronting the burden of injury and violence, from child maltreatment and youth violence to distracted driving, elderly falls and prescription drug abuse, through innovative policies and strategic efforts.

Some states are working in partnership with the CDC to test and implement new strategies. Through the Core Violence and Injury Prevention Program (VIPP), the CDC funds 20 state health departments in their efforts to build capacity, collect and use data, and implement evidence-based strategies.

 Five of these states are funded as regional network leaders, through which all 50 states have a resource for collaboration and assistance for violence and injury prevention.

Specifically, with the increase in rates of overdose-related deaths—which have doubled since 1999—prevention efforts around prescription drug abuse and overdose have increased in states recently. Through their Core VIPP funds, 16 states are focusing on prescription drug abuse and overdose prevention:

• Ten states focus on improving physician/pharmacist participation in or implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program—Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington.
• Nine states focus on improving clinical prescribing guidelines and educating prescribers on safe prescribing practices—Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.
• Nine states focus on increasing public awareness and education about the risks of prescription drug misuse—Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland,  Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.

Because states are in the best position to know and respond to their greatest needs, the Core VIPP allows states to tailor their strategies based on local issues. Policymakers and others seeking additional data on the causes and  burden of violence and injury in their states can access the CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) system and can learn about strategies other states are implementing through NCSL’s injury and violence prevention resources.  

Kate Blackman covers adolescent health and public health issues for NCSL.

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