Firearm Surveillance
FASTER-GA
Firearm-Related Injury Surveillance through Emergency Department Visits
Firearm-related injuries and death are a serious public health problem in the United States (U.S.), and particularly so in Georgia. In 2023, according to the National Violent Death Reporting System, 40,637 U.S. residents died due to firearm injuries, an age-adjusted rate of 13.10/100,000. Of these deaths, 1,994 were Georgians (age-adjusted rate of 18.00/100,000), a rate 37% higher than the U.S. (CDC WISQARS).
In 2023, CDC funded the Georgia Department of Public Health for the Advancing Epidemiology in Real Time (AVERT) project. AVERT aims to increase the comprehensiveness and timeliness of syndromic surveillance data on violence-related injuries and mental health conditions that are collected from visits to Emergency Departments and Urgent Care Facilities (EDs/UCFs). AVERT continues the work of a previous CDC-funded project, FASTER (Firearm Injury Surveillance Through Emergency Rooms).
Strategies
- Increase the timeliness of aggregate reporting of ED/UCF visits for violence-related injuries and mental health conditions
- Disseminate findings to the public and key partners working to prevent or respond to violence
Contact
For questions regarding firearm-related injuries among ED/UCF data or AVERT-GA, contact [email protected].
Page last updated: 9/16/2026