Safe States FY2023 Annual Report

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS!

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professional association whose mission is to strengthen the practice of injury and violence prevention (IVP). Together we are working to elevate the field of IVP through an anti-racism and health equity lens.

Our vision is to be the recognized leader and driving force in understanding and preventing injuries and violence.

OUR FOCUS

Injuries and violence are significant public health problems, many of which are rooted in unjust social and systemic policies across generations. The annual cost of preventable injuries and violence is staggering$4.2 trillion in medical, work loss, and quality of life costs annually.*

Safe States Alliance is composed of over 800 injury and violence prevention (IVP) professionals and students working in a variety of public health settings, including federal, state, and local government agencies; hospitals; non-profit organizations; and colleges and universities. Members specialize in a variety of areas, including program coordination, management, data analysis, and public policy. Together we work to reduce the burden and strengthen the practice of IVP through efforts to:

Strengthenthe Workforce

We enhance the capacity of members and public health agencies to apply upstream approaches to prevent injuries and violence across the lifespan.

Advocate&Educate forPolicySolutions

ExpandCross-Sector Collaborations

We advocate for strong, upstream policies to advance the nation's health and wellbeing.

We engage and convene experts and leaders in the field to achieve shared goals and advance antiracism and health equity priorities.

AdvanceAnti-Racism andHealthEquity PrinciplesinIVP

We promote diversity, racial healing, and equity in our organizational policies, practices, and values.

A MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP

This year was an important anniversary for Safe States – 30 years of serving the field of injury and violence prevention! During 2023 we looked back at our accomplishments through a 30-week series entitled, “30in30,” a multi-media campaign featuring a different achievement or landmark moment in Safe States and IVP history. A series of videos featuring current and past members accompanied the campaign and provided the face of Safe States over the past 30 years.

Our Annual Conference in September celebrated our 30-year history and was fittingly named Safe States 2023 – Learning from the Past. Shaping the Future. We heard from past States leaders, dating back to the inception of the organization at the 1993 World Injury Violence Conference in Atlanta, GA. We also embraced the future, featuring new emerging leaders in the field.

It was truly a year of numbers. Our conference attendance tripled in size to well over 700 participants; our membership increased over 25 percent to over 800; and we secured a new 5-year cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention providing over $1.4 million in year one alone.

As our Strategic Plan states, we “lead to elevate the field of IVP through an anti-racism and health equity lens.” This year, we truly walked the walk, including the release of Building Equity into Safer States which incorporated a health equity lens across the core components of a model IVP program.

Our work as a convening partner expanded exponentially, including expanded leadership of five regional networks, comprised of members from state health departments, hospitals and trauma centers, universities, research centers, tribal partners, and others.

We were again humbled to provide staff and volunteer leadership to this outstanding

organization, and thank the Executive Committee, members, staff, and partners for their hard work. Onward and upward, our mission is vital, and our future is bright!

Peg Ogea-Ginsburg President

Richard Hamburg Executive Director

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

In FY2023, Safe States remained committed to advancing the priorities outlined in the 2022-2024 Strategic Map. The plan centers on leading to elevate the field of injury and violence prevention (IVP) through an anti-racism and health equity lens. The Executive Committee identified strategic priority objectives (in blue), strategies (in white), and priorities (in bold italics) on which to focus during FY2023.

STRENGTHEN THE IVP WORKFORCE

Expand, Diversify, and Engage the Membership

Train the IVP Workforce to Apply Upstream Approaches to Their Work

Create and Foster Opportunities for Students/Early-Career Professionals in IVP

Promote the Inclusion of Underrepresented Groups in IVP

ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE FOR POLICY SOLUTIONS

IMPACTING IVP

Leverage Increased Resources for Public Health to Strengthen IVP Infrastructure

Elevate IVP Policy Solutions through an AntiRacism and Health Equity Lens

Increase Member Engagement in Policy and Advocacy

Promote Policy-Making at the State and Local Levels

EXPAND CROSS-SECTOR

COLLABORATION AND ENGAGEMENTS

Engage with Non-Traditional Partners on Mutual Priorities

Engage and Encourage IVP-Focused Organizations to Pursue Anti-Racism and Health Equity Priorities

Leverage Safe States Resources and Communication Strategies to Increase Partner Engagement

LEADERSHIP

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Injury Prevention Research Center

Members-at-Large

Laura Chisholm

Oregon Health Authority

Toska Cooper

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mighty Fine American Public Health Association

Kristi Ladowski

Stony Brook University Hospital Trauma Center

Nidhi Sachdeva North Carolina Association of County Commissioners

Daina Zolck

Kansas Department of Health and Environment

University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Washington State Department of Health

Deanna Ferrell Private Consultant

Peg Ogea-Ginsburg President

Belinda-Rose Young Vice President

Lisa Roth President-Elect

Colleen Kapsimalis Doyle Secretary Kirstin McFarland Treasurer Executive Committee

Committees and Workgroups Committees & Staff

Annual Conference Planning Committee

Allyson Fulton, Chair

Kevin Rix, Vice-Chair

Anti-Racism and Health Equity Workgroup

Rachael Cooper, Chair

Sonia Williams, Vice-Chair

Concept Development Committee

Laura Chisholm, Chair

Steve Marshall, Vice-Chair

Staff

Richard Hamburg, Executive Director

Sharon Gilmartin, Deputy Director

Julie Alonso, Associate Director

Amy Bailey, Program Manager

Eva Bland, Associate Director

Paul Bonta, Senior Policy Consultant

Hannah Dunlop, Communications Intern

Kristen Lindemer, Program Coordinator

Brandon Neath, Government Relations Manager

Carrie Nie, Grants and Development Manager

Deltavier Robertson, Health Equity Manager

Shelli Stephens-Stidham, Senior Program Consultant

Christa Thelen, Program Manager

Michelle Wynn, Director of Finance & Operations

Finance & Audit Committee

Kirstin McFarland, Chair

Membership Development Committee

Claire Stroer, Chair

Daniella DeLozier, Vice-Chair

Policy Committee

Catherine Glenn, Chair

Libbe Slavin, Vice-Chair

Learn about Committees & Work Groups

838 %

26 MEMBERS

INCREASE

275

ORGANIZATIONS

32

OF MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN COMMITTEES & SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGS)

Membership at a Glance

Safe States' experienced substantial membership growth in FY2023, ending the year with 838 individual members across 275 organizations. With a nearly 26 percent increase in overall membership from FY2022, Safe States experienced growth across every organization type, further diversifying membership.

Members engaged in a variety of ways. In FY2023, nearly one-third of members participated in one or more of Safe States' 11 committees, work groups, or special interest groups (SIGs) to connect with peers on topics of interest. As part of Safe States' ongoing commitment to student and early-career professional development, Safe States’ Student SIG was expanded to include professionals just entering or early in their careers.

Learn about Special Interest Groups

State Health Department

Local Health Department

Hospital/Healthcare

Private/Non-Profit

School/University

Other, including Federal Partners and Tribal Health

HIGHLIGHTS

In FY2023, Safe States:

EARLY CAREER INVESTMENTS

Expanded the Student Special Interest Group to include early-career professionals.

Maintained over a dozen mentorship pairings

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Offered a record 21 professional development opportunities.

Hosted nearly 750 conference attendees.

MEDIA ENGAGEMENT

Issued 8 national press releases, each published over 300 times.

Increased viewership of YouTube channel by 25%, totaling 3,300.

Doubled listener downloads of the IVP INdepth podcast to over 500 across more than 20 countries Celebrated 30 years with special 30in30 multi-media series.

STRENGTHEN THE IVP WORKFORCE

Priority: Expand, Diversify, and Engage the Membership

Throughout FY2023, Safe States invested heavily in engaging members and partners, providing resources and support across a variety of topics and formats. Building on successful multi-media efforts, Safe States offered a record number of professional development opportunities and improved virtual access to IVP resources by merging two of its platforms, the Training Center and Resource Hub, into one comprehensive database. The updated, searchable training and resource hub - INformed, provides free access to over 230 publications, web-based tools, and online courses across IVP topics.

In September, Safe States celebrated 30 years of service, hosting its largest conference to date in Denver, Colorado. Safe States 2023 - Learning from the Past. Shaping the Future brought 743 IVP professionals representing local and state health departments, healthcare agencies, academic institutions, community organizations, and federal

partners from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, Department of Homeland Security, and Indian Health Services together under one roof for more than 100 educational sessions covering a wide spectrum of topics. The diverse make-up of attendees presented a unique opportunity for rich discussions on the successes and challenges of the past and the future of the field.

Professional Development

DuringFY2023,SafeStatesadvancedandstrengthenedthepracticeof IVP by convening subjectmatterexpertstodeveloprecommendations andinform surveillance,providinga varietyofprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesacrossvariousplatforms, sharing innovativepractices,andapplyingananti-racismand healthequitylens acrossIVP.

Withthesupportofmembers,partners,andfunders,SafeStatesproduced the following 18 publications,policybriefs,casestudies, and tools:

BuildingEquityintoSaferStates:IntegratingHealth Equity acrosstheCore Components

ofModelInjuryand ViolencePrevention Programs

Blending,Braiding,andLayeringFunding Sourcesfor a SharedRiskand ProtectiveFactor Approach

Lessons,Benefits,and EvaluatingShared Risk&ProtectiveFactorApproaches

RecreationalBoatOccupantInjurySurveillanceRoundtable-Tier Two ofaThree-Tiered ApproachtoImproveBoatOccupantInjurySurveillancePractices

Partnershipsin ActionCaseStudies

Equity-FocusedApproachestoInjury and Violence Prevention - CaseStudies fromthe Field

NCIPCState-SpecificFundingBriefs

ReproductiveHealth PositionStatement: Injury andViolenceImplications oftheDobbs vs. JacksonSupremeCourtDecision

PreventingInjuries&ViolenceLocally:PolicyRecommendations forLocalImpact

LongstandingPartnershipsLeadtoPolicyChange

NVDRSresourcesforstates

EssentialSkillsforPartnershiptrainingseries

Advancing Health Equity Award: Chezik Tsunoda No More Under

Injury and Violence Prevention

Achievement Award:

Christy Adams, PhD, MPH

The University of California Davis Health

Injury and Violence Prevention

Achievement Award: University of Michigan - Michigan Medicine Trauma Burn Center

Journey Award: Dr. Sandra McKay

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Partner of the Year:

The Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR)

Recognizing Outstanding Contributions in IVP

Each year Safe States recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding leadership and contributions to the field of Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP). During the 2023 Annual IVP Conference, Safe States presented 11 prestigious awards to the following individuals during the general sessions followed by a special lunch to honor their achievements.

President's Award: Kirstin McFarland, MPH Washington State Department of Health

Rising Star Award:

Courtney Fultineer, MPH Oregon Health Authority

Lauren Gracy, MPH Kansas Department of Health and Environment

Emilia Pawlowski, MS

New York State Department of Health

Victor Soupene, MS, PhD(c)

University of Iowa College of Public Health

Alex Kelter Vision Award: Mark Kinde, MPH

Minnesota Department of Health

70 CONGRESSIONAL MEETINGS ACROSS 18 STATES HOSTED

$35M IN NEW FUNDING FOR THE CDC INJURY CENTER & EXPANDED THE CORE STATE INJURY PREVENTION PROGRAM, NOW AT STATES HELPED SECURE 26

24+ LETTERS TO CONGRESS IMPACTING IVP SIGNED ON TO

ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE FOR POLICY SOLUTIONS IMPACTING IVP

Priority: Leverage Increased Resources for Public Health to Strengthen IVP Infrastructure

In FY2023, Safe States experienced many benefits from its expanded policy and advocacy footprint, including taking part in more than 75 meetings with members of Congress and federal partners. Member and partner engagement garnered the necessary support for the first expansion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control’s (NCIPC) Core State Injury Prevention Program (SIPP) in nearly a decade, resulting in three additional states receiving injury prevention funding.

The Injury and Violence Prevention Network (IVPN) continued to grow and garner support for engaging in efforts to operationalize the recommendations included in the Vision for Equity in IVP call to action developed last year, now supported by over 50 organizations.

InSeptember,SafeStateswelcomedthefollowingfivemembersasthe seventhcohortofIVPPolicyFellows.Thefellowsincreasedtheirskills andconfidencetoeducatepolicymakersandsupporttheimplementation ofSafeStates’strategicmap.

TeresaBrunt-IntermountainHealth(UT)

MariaCariaso-IndianaDepartmentofHealth

Melissa"Meghan"Chua-UNCInjuryPreventionResearchCenter

StaceyPecenka-MonroeCarellJr.Children'sHospitalatVanderbilt

MicheleSchombs-NewYorkPresbyterianQueens

HIGHLIGHTS

In FY2023, Safe States:

SEED GRANTS

Invested nearly $200K across 7 communities to engage multi-sector partners to support implementing upstream community-based efforts found in Safe States publications

PROVIDE LEADERSHIP

Staff participated in 15 national leadership positions to increase the visibility and integration of IVP into broader public health efforts.

CONNECTIONS

Facilitated 5 regional injury prevention networks, hosting 8 inperson meetings

Produced and sent 150+ member and partner communications to growing listserv of 4,000+ IVP practitioners and partners.

EXPAND CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION AND ENGAGEMENTS

with Non-Traditional Partners on Mutual Priorities

In FY2023, Safe States thoughtfully sought out new Priority: Engage

partnerships and leadership opportunities to expand collaboration and leverage opportunities to advance mutual priorities at the local, state, and national levels. These successful efforts positioned Safe States to improve systems, advance equity, and increase support for public health infrastructure. To further expand on these efforts, Safe States developed a new staff position focused on growing the organization’s footprint in injury and violence prevention, public health, and workforce development spaces.

Safe States was one of nine leading IVP organizations that collectively planned and carried out National Injury Prevention Day, held annually on November 18th. Safe States leveraged its partnerships to secure over 50 organizational signatures of support and reach over 600 media outlets with information on the burden of injuries and violence and the need for change.

Safe States fostered relationships with members, partners, funders, and elected officials to continue efforts to strengthen the nation’s firearm data infrastructure. In addition to facilitating a Firearm Data Infrastructure Workgroup to increase the quality, availability, and usefulness of firearm data and improve federal coordination, Safe

States provided support to expand the impact of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) through data and resource collection and special convenings.

3x INCREASED ANNUAL CONFERENCE REVENUE BY

YIELDING AWARDED 5 MORE YEARS OF FUNDING FROM CDC

STATES 10 PROVIDED TA & TRAINING TO $300K+ IN NEW REVENUE

Finances at a Glance

Safe States is committed to responsible financial management. The Safe States Executive Committee and staff work together to ensure all financial matters are addressed with care, and financial decisions are handled with integrity and are made in the best interests of the organization while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local legal and reporting requirements.

For FY2023, total revenues amounted to $2,702,733 and total net assets at year-end were $696,418. Safe States received an unqualified opinion from its independent auditors, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC, indicating that the organization’s financial statements comply with accepted accounting procedures. Safe States continues to focus on expanding its reserves, while also balancing a commitment to membership services and funding requirements.

Total Revenue by Source

Access a detailed financial report here.

18 Released including 4 POLICY BRIEFS & TOOLS PEOPLE

FY2023 AT A GLANCE

3x INCREASED ANNUAL CONFERENCE REVENUE by Grew membership to

275 across

838 ORGANIZATIONS

Hosted

21 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

70 CONGRESSIONAL MEETINGS

18 STATES Hosted across

24+ LETTERS TO CONGRESS Signed on the impact of IVP

Helped secure

$35M

IN NEW FUNDING FOR CDC’S INJURY CENTER to expand the core state injury prevention program

Staff held LEADERSHIP POSITIONS on

15+ NATIONAL BOARDS & COMMITTEES

7 Funded across to advance partnerships & equity

$200K COMMUNITIES