Main ContentMS VIP FAQs
Why Is This Study Important?
Did you know that Mississippi had the nation's highest firearm mortality rate in 2020? Jackson, the state's capitol, in 2021, had a homicide rate three times higher than the national rate of murders. During that same year, UMMC, the only Level 1 Trauma Center in the state, provided care to 1,129 patients with injuries from firearms or related violence.
Firearm violence disproportionately impacts minority populations, males, and young adults. It is the leading cause of death among Black, non-Hispanic men between 20 and 44 years of age and the third leading cause of death among Hispanic men of the same age.
There is a strong need in the Mississippi, Jackson metro area for such research to investigate the risk factors of fire-arm violence and provide resources for survivors and their family members to go back to life.
The Mississippi VIP Program will support collaborative research and initiatives led by the community that helps to reduce gun and related violence in Mississippi.
There are two phases of this study.
Who Can Participate?
Phase 1 Study of Gun Violence is currently recruiting people who meet the following criteria:
Live in the Jackson Metro area of Mississippi
Aged 16 or older
Experienced a firearm injury or you have been affected by firearm-related violence.
Firearm injury survivors
Emergency Victims come from Adult Emergency Department
Community Members living in areas affected by firearm violence
Study participants may play a key role in allowing us to:
Phase 1:
Identify existing risk factors of firearm injuries
Better understand which resources are needed to help survivors of firearm injuries who live in the greater Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan area
Phase 2:
Lead community-focused interventions
Follow-up in 3, 6, and 12 months
Community partners will assess the needs of participants.
The time and location are TBD and will be announced soon.
What Participants Can Expect in Phase 1
If you agree to participate in the study, you will be asked about your quality of life, experiences with firearm injury, services and resources you may have used related to the injury, and services they think could have been helpful but were unable to access due to barriers or because they did not exist, also services and resources they think would be helpful to reduce firearm violence and improve recovery from firearm injury where they live.
The session will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Participants will be interviewed and asked to complete a survey.
Costs and Compensation
There will not be additional costs to participate in this study. Insurance companies and other third-party payers will not be billed for any research procedures.
In Phase 2, Participants will receive a $25 gift card for completing the surveys and interview questions.
Phase 2: Clinical trial
Who Can Participate?
What Participants Can Expect
A comprehensive violence-focused SBIRT (CVF-SBIRT) will be implemented tool for enrolled patients at UMMC for a firearm injury at index Emergency Department evaluation, with an update at the time of discharge from index inpatient admission for firearm injury (if applicable) which will result in activating the community-focused interventions. There will be 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up timepoints to identify community-level impacts of violence-focused interventions.
Costs and Compensation
There will not be additional costs to participate in this study. Insurance companies and other third-party payers will not be billed for any research procedures.
Participants will receive a $25 gift card for completing the surveys and interview questions.
More Information:
For more information about the study, please contact us: