Secure firearm storage in Illinois community health centers
Official title: Implementing A Secure Firearm Storage Program in Illinois Health Centers in Partnership with AllianceChicago and the Illinois Primary Health Care Association
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11143778 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project brings brief safety conversations and free cable locks to patients and families at Illinois community health centers to help keep guns stored safely.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | July 24, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $654,645 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NR021291-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11143778 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients and parents/caregivers who visit participating federally qualified or safety-net health centers in Illinois and who own or live with firearms.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not visit participating clinics, do not own or live with firearms, or live outside the program area are unlikely to get direct benefit.
What this research studies
If I visit a participating community health center, clinicians will offer a short talk about safe firearm storage and provide a free cable lock if needed. The clinics will receive training, electronic reminders in the medical record, and ongoing support so staff remember to offer the program. The team will adapt the program to fit federally qualified health centers that serve diverse and under-resourced communities and will track how often safety talks and locks are offered. This work builds on a large trial that greatly increased how often clinicians delivered the program in well-resourced systems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more families could store firearms safely, which may reduce unintentional injuries and deaths among children and teens.
How similar studies have gone: A prior large trial (ASPIRE) using the same program in well-resourced health systems increased clinician delivery from about 2% to 49% of eligible pediatric visits, showing promising results.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beidas, Rinad Sary — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Beidas, Rinad Sary
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.