DPH previews firearm‑safety brochure, RFP timeline and August data dashboard; grantees press for funding stability

Colleen Violette, program staff at the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s Office of Firearm Injury Prevention, presented a two‑page firearm‑safety brochure approved by the Office of Policy and Management and said the agency will align the brochure’s design with the Safer CT campaign before broad distribution. “We are potentially going to be changing the design, but the information of the brochure is going to stay the same,” she said.

The brochure will be made available to primary care offices and other partners; Violette asked commission members for feedback on a distribution plan and said she will email a PDF version before redesign. Commission members suggested offering the brochure to VOCA‑funded contractors and other community partners.

RFP and grants work: Violette and other DPH staff reiterated that the department will soon release a request for applications to fund community gun‑violence prevention work. DPH said the RFP is intended to fund services beginning July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, typically as one‑year contracts with possible extensions; the application portal was posted in November and closed in January, and reviews are ongoing.

Evaluator and data dashboard: DPH staff told the commission that an external evaluator contract is progressing through approvals and that DPH expects an April 1 start date for that evaluator. The department’s injury and violence surveillance unit is developing an injury‑surveillance dashboard covering homicide and suicide; staff said they hope to launch the dashboard in August and are soliciting feedback from commission subcommittees and the Suicide Advisory Board.

Subcommittee and grantee updates: Multiple subcommittees gave updates on action plans, meeting schedules and priorities. Highlights included:

- Funding stability concerns: subcommittees and grantees reported unease about federal VOCA volatility and the end of ARPA commitments; sustainability and legislative outreach remain priorities.

- RFP review process and conflict‑of‑interest rules: DPH and commissioners clarified that members who might apply for funding were not involved in writing or reviewing the RFPs and that purchasing handled the application portal.

- Technical assistance and collaboration: Kelsey Arias of CCMC summarized a February Hartford summit and grantee networking sessions. “Most of the grantees were able to attend the summit, which was really exciting,” she said, and said grantees are seeking help to build collaborations and financial sustainability.

- Data and evaluation support: Carrie Racian, co‑chair of the data evaluation subcommittee, described plans to broaden the subcommittee’s scope to provide data training and evidence resources beyond only grant‑funded programs.

Votes at a glance: The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn moved by Patrick McCormick and seconded by Carl Schissel. The chair called for a voice vote; the transcript records “Aye” and then “The ayes have it.” The motion was recorded as approved; the transcript does not list numeric tallies.

Ending: DPH staff asked commission members to share distribution locations for the brochure and encouraged subcommittees and grantees to participate in the upcoming RFP conference and evaluation planning. The department said it will circulate PDFs and continue to coordinate subcommittee schedules and next steps.