The Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with The Firearm & Injury Center at Penn (FICAP), Temple University Hospital, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia Health
Management Corporation (PHMC), Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation and other local partners, have begun implementation of the State's new hospital-based, injury surveillance and intervention system to aid in violence prevention strategies.

The Pennsylvania Injury Reporting and Intervention System (PIRIS),a new and unique initiative funded by Pennsylvania's Department of Health, collects information on gunshot wound injuries, which is used by state and local agencies and community partnerships to target activities, develop new programs, and evaluate current violence reduction efforts.

PIRIS is the only initiative of its kind in the nation that combines surveillance with intervention as a means to directly control and prevent the impact of gun violence on our youth.

PIRIS data will be collected for youth 15-24 with interpersonal or self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The ability to track the incidence and characteristics of violence can serve as the basis to develop violence prevention strategies and for reducing the impact and repercussions of
violence on youth, families and communities.

This system is built on a public health model, which is a science-based approach.

Development of a multi-system intervention for the victim and their families includes referrals to community services, job training, education programs, mental health treatment, and other programs that will be tailored toward the needs of the victims and their families.

PIRIS was developed in response to the findings of the Governor's commission on gun violence. Click here to view the PIRIS website and to see the PIRIS video.