Healthier People, Safer Communities

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of deaths are included in the database?

The AK VDRS database collects deaths based on manner of death with specific targets being:

  • Homicide
  • Suicide
  • Accidental Firearm related
  • Legal Intervention (Police-related shootings)
  • Acts of Terrorism
  • Undetermined and pending

How do you locate your targeted deaths for inclusion into the database?

The Bureau of Vital Statistics provide death information to the AK VDRS program based on a monthly query of their database to screen for the following ICD10 codes:

  • X60-X99
  • Y00-Y09
  • Y10-Y34
  • Y35-Y35.4
  • Y35.6-Y35.7
  • W32-W34
  • U01
  • U03
  • And additional ICD10 codes for deaths >1 year after injury (Y87.0-Y87.2, Y89-Y89.9, Y86 (if firearm related) and U02

What do you do with the data?

Information in the source documents is abstracted from each record and entered into a server based AK VDRS database where it is available for the program staff to analyze over 700 individual data variables per incident to give the data providers, data users, and advisory members an in-depth view to violent death in Alaska, who it is happening to, how it is happening and the relationships between victim, suspect and weapons.

Publications planned for the AK VDRS data include an annual state wide report on violent deaths in Alaska, annual child fatality review reports, web based statistic reports and public presentations.

Alaska data, stripped of individual identifiers and feed to the National VDRS program provides federal, state and local agencies with a understanding of how violent death in Alaska compares with violent death across the nation and can then be used to target trends and patterns that potentially may be of concern to law enforcement, public health and others.

What about confidentiality ?

The AK VDRS program understands the value of the data that is entrusted to it and has developed security protocols to ensure the data is only handled by individuals who are background checked, have an in-depth understanding of police, court and health record handling protocols, and are maintained in secure facilities and on secure servers.

The data that is transmitted for inclusion into the National VDRS database is stripped of all personal identifiers before transmission

Analysis of the data is done with aggregation and statistical tools to ensure the data is accurate and representative of Alaska populations, yet in a manner that no one individual incident or individual are identifiable to the data users

Memorandum of agreements with the data providersensures the strict protocols used to maintain confidentiality in the source agencies are upheld

How do I find out about the National Violent Death Reporting System?

For questions about the National Violent Death Reporting System, please visit CDC's NVDRS Frequently Asked Questions.

For more information, please contact:

Scott Saxon, Public Health Specialist
AK VDRS Program Coordinator
3601 C Street, Suite 222
PO Box 240249
Anchorage, Ak 99524

907-269-8050
907-269-2041 (fax)