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A pilot program called Safe Starts at Home, funded by a gift from the Anschutz Family Foundation, has been launched by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz. The initiative aims to expand across Colorado to help prevent firearm injuries and overdoses among children and adolescents. The program trains home-visiting professionals, such as nurses and social workers, to engage with parents and guardians about keeping firearms, medications, and other potentially harmful substances stored securely.
The program began in response to requests from several Colorado counties and was developed by the Injury and Violence Prevention Center (IVPC) and the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI). The IVPC and FIPI teams packaged research on effective household safety practices to prevent firearm and overdose injuries and deaths, and developed training for these county staff who visit and support families. Within a year of that initial request to build the capacity of home-visiting professionals, approximately 40 other programs in the state had expressed interest in the Safe Starts at Home program.
Empowering Families
Instead of creating new services, Safe Starts at Home integrates program components into existing county infrastructure. County staff who are already trained and qualified to conduct home visits are taught to include conversations about secure storage of firearms, medications, and substances. The program distributes household safety kits that include firearm locking devices, medication storage bags, and educational materials on the importance of preventing unauthorized firearm access and overdose prevention.
The Safe Starts at Home program will be led by Erin Wright-Kelly, DrPH, MA, research associate with IVPC and director of practice with FIPI, and Joseph Simonetti, MD, MPH, associate professor of hospital medicine, director of education with FIPI, and assistant director of education & training at IVPC.
“This effort is grounded in research and delivered through an approach that values collaboration, harm reduction, and respect for the autonomy and values of Coloradans. This support was truly needed for us to expand the program in such a way that we are able to assist families across the state.”
- Joseph Simonetti, MD, MPH.
Addressing Multiple Risks
Safe Starts at Home is a program designed to respond to two common household risks: firearm injury and overdose. By reducing cost and access barriers to secure storage options and engaging in respectful, person-centered conversations with families, Safe Starts at Home helps reduce the risks of two leading causes of injuries and fatalities in Colorado.
“We’re thrilled that this program is part of the Mental Health Collaborative at CU Anschutz. We are excited to expand our firearm injury and overdose prevention work to all areas of the state, working collaboratively with all the other mental health initiatives,” said Center Director, Ashley Brooks-Russell, PhD, associate professor of community & behavioral health at the Colorado School of Public Health, and faculty co-investigator on the project. Marian Betz, MD, MPH, professor in the School of Medicine and emergency medicine physician, also serves as a co-investigator on the project.
If you are interested in bringing this program to your county, contact firearm.injury@cuanschutz.edu to learn more.
