2024 Annual Report
October 2023 - September 2024
MISSION/VISION
The Safe States Alliance is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and 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 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
We advocate for strong, upstream policies to advance the nation's health and wellbeing.
ExpandCross-Sector
Collaborations
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.
* Economic Cost of Injury — United States, 2019 | MMWR (cdc.gov)
A MESSAGE FROM LEADERSHIP
2024 was a year of historic growth for Safe States. Additional resources enabled significant investments in the organization’s infrastructure and staffing. We secured new support from the Department of Homeland Security under its Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program and the CDC via its Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program. This support will enhance our ability to address the needs of all levels of the public health workforce now and for years to come. In addition, membership reached as high as 897 during the year, with its composition continuing to diversify across numerous practice settings. The organization’s staff and leaders took part in a multi-step process to develop a new strategic plan that will guide our collective efforts in 2025-2027. The newly approved plan focuses on advancing the field of injury and violence prevention (IVP) through innovative and upstream approaches. Our objectives include strengthening and diversifying the workforce; advocating and educating for policy and funding solutions impacting IVP; expanding cross-sector collaboration and engagements; and elevating progress and innovation in the field.
Of note, Safe States began work on a project, Enhancing the Injury and Violence Prevention Workforce Pipeline, together with our partner, the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR). Among other accomplishments, this project hosted a series of Grand Rounds bringing together science, practice, and policy through an antiracism and health equity framework. Our organization also committed to and walked the walk in leading efforts to oppose drastic proposed cuts to the CDC’s Injury Center, work that will undoubtedly continue in the coming years. And finally, 2024 was a major year of transition upon Rich Hamburg’s announced retirement this summer after leading Safe States growth and accomplishments for nearly seven years. Current Deputy Director Sharon Gilmartin will assume the position of Executive Director on January 1, 2025 and will continue to build the organization’s reach and impact. The future is bright.
Richard Hamburg Executive Director
Lisa Roth President
2024 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
In FY2024, Safe States continued to advance the priorities outlined in the 2022-2024 Strategic Map. The plan, in its final year, centered 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 FY2024.
STRENGTHEN THE IVP WORKFORCE
Create and Foster Opportunities for Students/Early-Career Professionals in IVP
Train the IVP Workforce to Apply Upstream Approaches to Their Work
Expand, Diversify, and Engage the Membership
Promote the Inclusion of Underrepresented Groups in IVP
ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE FOR POLICY SOLUTIONS
IMPACTING IVP
Increase Member Engagement in Policy and Advocacy
Elevate IVP Policy Solutions through an AntiRacism and Health Equity Lens
Leverage Increased Resources for Public Health to Strengthen IVP Infrastructure
Promote Policy-Making at the State and Local Levels
EXPAND CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION AND ENGAGEMENTS
Leverage Safe States Resources and Communication Strategies to Increase Partner Engagement
Engage and Encourage IVP-Focused Organizations to Pursue Anti-Racism and Health Equity Priorities
Engage with Non-Traditional Partners on Mutual Priorities
LEADERSHIP
Executive Committee
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Injury Prevention Research Center
University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center Authority
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Members-at-Large
Toska Cooper
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tony Gomez
Public Health Seattle King County
Ashley Lamar JPS Health
Allyson Fulton Pennsylvania Department of Health
Kristi Ladowski
Stony Brook University Hospital Trauma Center
Terry Love
Tennessee Department of Health
Daina Zolck
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
Siarra
Committees & Staff
Committees and Workgroups
Annual Conference Planning Committee
Karla Klas, Chair
Catherine Bennett, Vice-Chair
Anti-Racism and Health Equity Workgroup
Jessica Ritter, Chair
Danielle Garcia, Vice-Chair
Concept Development Committee
Laura Chisholm, Chair
Tony Gomez, 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
Solomon Fitzgerald, Policy Intern
Kristen Lindemer, Program Coordinator
Brandon Neath, Government Relations Manager
Carrie Nie, Grants and Development Manager
Deltavier Robertson, Program Manager
Shelli Stephens-Stidham, Senior Program Consultant
Christa Thelen, Program Manager
Jess Ward, Technology Intern
Michelle Wynn, Director of Finance & Operations
Finance & Audit Committee
Siarra Scott, Chair
Membership Development Committee
Merideth Gradowski Chair
Victor Soupene, Vice-Chair
Policy Committee
Kristi Ladowski, Chair
Madelyn Maxwell, Vice-Chair
Learn about Committees & Work Groups
ORGANIZATIONS
OF MEMBERS
PARTICIPATE IN COMMITTEES & SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIGS)
Membership at a Glance
Safe States maintained steady membership numbers in FY2024, ending the year with 824 individual members across 281 organizations. While the membership across all settings remains strong, Safe States experienced at 25% increase in members from private/nonprofit organizations and members in local health departments.
Members engaged in a variety of ways. In FY2024, 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 support professionals at all stages of their career, Safe States instated a new retiree membership type, which represented one percent of the overall membership in FY2024.
Learn about Special Interest Groups
HIGHLIGHTS
In FY2024, Safe States:
EARLY CAREER INVESTMENTS
Provided 10 professional development sessions tailored specifically for students & early career professionals
Partnered with SAVIR to enhance the workforce pipeline - hosting 4 Grand Rounds.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Offered a record 31 professional development opportunities across different modalities. Hosted nearly 500 conference attendees.
MEDIA ENGAGEMENT
Issued 3 national press releases, each published over 350 times. Increased media footprint across 5 platforms, with Linkedin followers growing by 30 percent
STRENGTHEN THE IVP WORKFORCE
Priority: Create and Foster Opportunities for Students/Early-Career Professionals in IVP
Health - Health Equity in Injury Prevention curriculum in collaboration with Emory Injury Prevention Research Center and subject matter experts. The curriculum included seven sessions aimed at integrating equity principles into evaluation and creating processes to measure the impact of their programs on health equity.
To better understand member needs, staff and committee members conducted membership outreach calls reaching out to over 700 current and former members. In total 175 calls were completed, ultimately informing future efforts to support practitioners in the IVP field.
In September, Safe States brought 480 IVP professionals representing local and state health departments, healthcare agencies, academic institutions, community organizations, and federal partners from the Centers for Throughout FY2024, 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 across different modalities and launched a brand new ECHO for Public
Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Indian Health
Services together under one roof for unparalleled learning and networking. In addition to the opportunity to chose from nearly 200 unique presentations covering a wide spectrum of topics, attendees had the opportunity to learn about Portland, Oregon’s past and celebrate their efforts to blaze new trails and honor members for their outstanding contributions to the field with 10 different annual awards.
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 2024 Annual IVP Conference, Safe States presented 10 prestigious awards to the following individuals during the general sessions followed by a special lunch to honor their achievements.
Alex Kelter Vision Award: Tony Gomez
Public Health – Seattle King County
Advancing Health Equity Award: Tribal Injury Prevention Cooperative Agreement Program (TIPCAP) Monitoring Contract Team
Colorado School of Public Health
Ellen R. Schmidt Award: Peg Ogea-Ginsburg
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Injury and Violence Prevention
Journey Award: Mary Ann Contreras JPS Health Network
President's Award: Sharon Gilmartin
Safe States Alliance
Partner of the Year: Tim Daly
Achievement Award: Taffy Hunter
Spokane Regional Domestic Violence
Coalition
Injury and Violence Prevention
Achievement Award: Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program at Eastern Carolina University
Health Medical Center
The Joyce Foundation
Rising Star Award: Emily Nicholls
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Jessica Ritter Safe Kids Pennsylvania
Professional Development
During FY2024, Safe States advanced and strengthened the practice of IVP by bringing together subject matter experts and stakeholders in 18 separate convenings to support the development of guidance and recommendations on a variety of topics, including boating safety, violent death reporting systems, youth and community violence, gender-based violence, policy and advocacy, equitable practices, firearm data infrastructure, community health needs assessments, efforts to highlight local-level programmatic successes, and the core components of a model IVP program.
Safe States made significant efforts to analyze the field and provide support for improving public health infrastructure and program capacity throughout the year. The organization received over 400 responses to the IVP Program Infrastructure and Workforce Development Survey conducted during the spring. Preliminary findings were shared at the 2024 annual conference with a full report expected in early 2025. A multidisciplinary workgroup assessed the core components of a model IVP program for better alignment across programmatic settings. This revised fifth iteration will inform modifications to the State Technical Assessment Team (STAT) program and be useful for anyone working to enhance the effectiveness of their IVP program. Both products will be finalized for release in early 2025.
To further support IVP practice, Safe States released the following issue briefs and resources that assist in demonstrating the value of IVP programs, improving surveillance, and encouraging innovative upstream approaches.
National Violent Death Reporting System - State VDRS
Workforce Capacity - Key Findings and Invest in Vital Infrastructure to Prevent Violent Deaths
Preventing Injuries & Violence Locally: Policy Recommendations for Local Impact
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) State-Specific Funding Briefs
Recreational Boat Occupant Injury Surveillance Roundtable - Tier Three of a Three-Tiered Approach to Improve Boat Occupant Injury Surveillance Practices
164 SIGNATURES FROM PARTNERS ON A LETTER TO SECURED
CONGRESS OPPOSING PROPOSED CUTS TO HEALTH PROGRAMS
100 CONGRESSIONAL MEETINGS ACROSS 25 STATES HOSTED “DEAR COLLEAGUE”
LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF IVP FUNDING
2 CIRCULATED SIGNED BY
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
ADVOCATE AND EDUCATE FOR POLICY SOLUTIONS
IMPACTING IVP
Priority: Increase Member Engagement in Policy and Advocacy
In FY2024, Safe States continued to expand its policy and advocacy footprint, hosting two state IVP showcases while also taking part in 100 meetings with members of Congress and making contact with over 300 Congressional offices, including appropriations staff, to advocate for IVP related programs and federal funding. Member and partner engagement secured support from 164 national, state, and local organizations on a letter to Congress opposing the drastic cuts proposed to health programs, including injury and violence prevention, by the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee for fiscal year 2025.
The Injury and Violence Prevention Network (IVPN) continued to operationalize the recommendations included in the Vision for Equity in IVP call to action and supported Safe States’ largest Advocacy Day to date with 50 individuals representing 25 states in attendance.
InSeptember,SafeStateswelcomedthefollowingfivemembersasthe eighthcohortofIVPPolicyFellows.Thefellowsincreasedtheirskillsand confidencetoeducatepolicymakersandsupporttheimplementationof SafeStates’strategicmap.
AshleyChavez,MinnesotaDepartmentofHealth
PaigeColburn-Hargis,ScrippsMemorialHospitalLaJolla
EmilyNicholls,OklahomaStateDepartmentofHealth
CarolOlson,VCUHealthSystem
DominqueRose,NationwideChildren'sHospital
HIGHLIGHTS
In FY2024, Safe States:
SEED GRANTS
Invested nearly $100K across 5 communities to engage multi-sector partners to support implementing upstream community-based efforts
PROVIDE LEADERSHIP
Identified as a go-to partner for collaboration securing 6 partner supplements added to the newly awarded CDC PHIC base funding
Staff participated in 18 national leadership positions to increase the visibility and integration of IVP into broader public health efforts.
CONNECTIONS
Facilitated 5 regional injury prevention networks, hosting 10 inperson meetings. Produced and sent 150+ communications to growing listserv of 4,000+ IVP practitioners and partners
EXPAND CROSS-SECTOR
COLLABORATION AND ENGAGEMENTS
Priority: Leverage Safe States Resources and Communication Strategies to Increase Partner Engagement
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 85 organizational signatures of support which was published in 350 news and media outlets with information on the burden of injuries and violence.
Safe States fostered relationships with members, partners, funders, and elected officials to continue efforts to strengthen the nation’s ability to address violence. In addition to facilitating a Firearm Data Infrastructure Workgroup, Safe States and partners worked with the White House Office on Gun Violence Prevention on efforts to
In FY2024, Safe States thoughtfully sought out and leveraged new opportunities to advance mutual priorities at the local, state, and national levels. These successful efforts led to securing 10 new or renewed funding sources, positioning Safe States to expand partnerships, advance equity, improve systems and surveillance, and increase support for public health infrastructure. In addition to an expanded footprint and increased collaboration with other national organizations, these investments allowed Safe States to expand staffing to support communications and technology. increase the quality, availability, and usefulness of firearm data and improve federal coordination. Efforts to support expanding the impact of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) through data and resource collection and special convenings also continued.
AWARDED 5 YEARS OF NEW FUNDING FROM CDC PHIC
18 INCREASED MEMBERSHIP DUES REVENUE BY % BY 20 INCREASE IN CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIPS
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 FY2024, total revenues amounted to $2,742,654 ($2,668,917 without donor restrictions) and total net assets at year-end were $856,667 ($782,765 without donor restrictions). Safe States received an unqualified opinion from its independent auditors, Matthews, Carter & Boyce, P.C., 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.
