Houston launches SafeWatch firearm‑injury dashboard; hospitals and veterans groups urge targeted prevention

The Houston Health Department on the committee floor presented SafeWatch Houston, a publicly accessible dashboard that combines multiple data sources to show who, where and when firearm injuries occur and to support targeted prevention work.

Komal Sheth, a senior analyst at the health department, said the dashboard was built in partnership with city and community partners and launched publicly in December. "This public health tool shows real‑time trends in firearm injuries in Houston," Sheth said, and the dashboard is updated quarterly with de‑identified data and suppression rules to protect privacy.

Data sources and what they show: Sheth said SafeWatch integrates emergency department syndromic surveillance, Houston Fire Department EMS/911 dispatch data, Houston Police Department nonfatal injury reports, Harris County Medical Examiner mortality data and clinical data from the city’s level‑1 trauma centers. She said the dashboard is the first in the nation to combine level‑1 trauma center clinical data with EMS, ED and mortality datasets for a more complete picture.

Trends and target populations: Using data through 2025, Sheth reported a downward slope across data sources and statistically significant drops in average monthly counts between 2024 and 2025 for emergency department visits, EMS calls and trauma center visits. She added that trauma center visits for unintentional firearm injuries numbered 194 in 2025 and that almost half occurred in people 24 and younger, highlighting the dashboard’s role in focusing pediatric and youth prevention efforts.

How the dashboard will be used: Presenters and councilmembers described immediate programmatic uses: mapping hot spots by ZIP code for credible‑messenger programs, targeting gun‑safe distribution and enabling hospitals and community groups to tailor outreach. The health department said filters and separate tabs let users explore intent (unintentional, assault, self‑harm), age, geography and time of day.

Community and clinical support: Dozens of public commenters praised SafeWatch. Dr. Caitlin Fitzgerald, an associate trauma medical director at Harris Health, called the combined data "super important" for understanding patterns and guiding prevention. Elizabeth Kleeman from the VA’s suicide prevention program said SafeWatch fills critical gaps for veteran suicide outreach, allowing geographic targeting where veterans may not be connected to VA care. Hospital leaders from Texas Children’s and Memorial Hermann, researchers at UTHealth and community groups including Forgotten 3rd applauded the dashboard and underscored its role in directing resources like gun locks, safe storage education and trauma‑informed outreach.

Privacy and limitations: Sheth stressed data are de‑identified and categories with counts below five are suppressed; she also noted that different datasets have specific limitations (for example, ED data don’t capture deaths at the scene and EMS data don’t capture patients who self‑transport to hospitals). The health department plans to incorporate level‑2 and level‑3 trauma center data in future enhancements.

Next steps: The department will continue quarterly updates, hold task‑force meetings with partners to evaluate trends and interventions, and roll out targeted distributions of 1,000 gun safes funded by a council office for clinics and community sites.

What’s next for council: Councilmembers and presenters said they would use the dashboard to guide operations, resource allocation and grant seeking; several public speakers urged sustained funding and broader data integration to maximize the dashboard’s reach.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Komal Sheth and remarks from multiple clinicians, researchers and community leaders.