SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Department of Public Health has launched a new tool that it hopes will reduce violent deaths and firearm injuries in the state.

It’s a data dashboard with details on both categories of violence. Details include the type of incident (homicide, suicide, etc.), what weapon was used and where the victims lived. Data is sourced from two public health surveillance systems funded by the CDC.

“Firearm violence is a public health crisis that requires public health solutions,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Modernizing how we gather and use data is critical to finding holistic solutions that address firearm violence in a comprehensive way. IDPH is proud to partner with the Joyce Foundation and Understory to build this leading-edge dashboard that gathers comprehensive data about both violent deaths and firearm-related injuries. We look forward to partnering with our statewide and local leaders to use this dashboard to create data-driven policies and plans that make our communities safer and healthier.”

The dashboard’s development was funded through the support of The Joyce Foundation. This Chicago-based philanthropic organization invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility in Illinois and other states in the Great Lakes Region.

“We’re excited to support this groundbreaking data dashboard and the innovative approach being taken by the Illinois Department of Health to keep our communities informed with such important and timely information,” said Tim Daly, director of The Joyce Foundation’s Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform program. “This tool will provide us with more accurate data to better understand what is happening in communities and allow us to make more informed policy and practice decisions to prevent gun violence.”

While similar dashboard about violent deaths have been implemented in Minnesota and Michigan, Illinois’ dashboard is the first of its kind to gather data about both violent deaths and non-fatal firearm injuries.

The dashboard is already helping researchers by revealing the following trends:

• Men are far more likely to be victims of violent deaths and non-fatal firearm injuries in Illinois. Men account for 89% of firearm-involved deaths since 2015. The non-fatal firearm injury rate for men was 261.2 per 100,000 ED visits, compared to 37.2 for women.
• Suicide, unintentional firearm, and law enforcement intervention death rates have been relatively flat in Illinois from 2015 to 2022, while homicide rates spiked in 2020 and 2021 (a trend that was also observed nationwide).
• Firearms were used in 84% of homicide deaths, 36% of suicide deaths, and 57% of all violent deaths among those under 18 years of age between 2015 and 2022. Firearms accounted for approximately 50,000 emergency department visits for non-fatal injuries between January 2018 and December 2024.
• The City of Chicago had the highest rate of non-fatal firearms injury, with more than 350 reported out of every 100,000 ED visits. 
• The most common age range to sustain a non-fatal firearm injury was 20 t 29, followed by 10 to 19. Firearm-related violent deaths were highest among 20- to 29-year-olds.
• Firearms violence disproportionately impacts communities of color. Black Illinoisans are more than 10 times as likely to sustain a non-fatal firearm injury compared to White residents. Black Illinoisans account for more than 55% of firearm fatalities in the state.

“The launch of this dashboard represents a significant step forward in Illinois’ mission to reduce and eliminate firearm violence,” said Quiwana Bell, Illinois Department of Human Services Assistant Secretary Designate, Office of Firearm Violence Prevention. “Access to reliable data is a powerful tool for directing resources to where they can have the greatest impact, empowering communities, policymakers, and organizations to take decisive, life-saving action. The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention is committed to partnering with IDPH and others to ensure this information drives meaningful change and strengthens our communities.”