Tennessee has received a $1.4 million grant to collect data that will help health officials better understand and prevent violent deaths. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, more than 1,800 Tennesseans died as the result of homicide or suicide in 2017. The grant to the department’s chief medical examiner office will help Tennessee gather data for the National Violent Death Reporting System. That system links records from medical examiners, law enforcement, toxicology and vital statistics. Tennessee Chief Medical Examiner Julia Goodin said in a news release that the system “will provide a more complete picture of homicides, suicides and unintentional firearm injury deaths in Tennessee.” She said that will help officials “identify the right prevention efforts and use resources in the best way possible.”