City of Columbus

A Fatality Review is a community planning process in which a team of experts from various community systems and agencies convene to review the circumstances around potentially preventable deaths (e.g. all children). 

Columbus Public Health's Child Fatality Review Program convenes and supports the state-required Franklin County Child Fatality Review (FCCFR) Board.

The FCCFR:

• Is made up of community representatives from agencies that might have contact with a child; including the coroner's office, law enforcement, child protective services, public and mental health, schools, and hospitals. 
• Reviews the deaths of all children under the age of 18 who are residents of Franklin County.
• Identifies common themes, trends, and risk factors among cases.
• Identifies gaps in community systems and possibilities for system improvement.
• Makes recommendations to prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.
• Maintains a database of all cases with information on risk factors collected during review.
• Reports county-level data to the Ohio Department of Health each year.
• Analyzes data and trends and creates community reports to disseminate information.
• Works to implement strategies for prevention.