Georgia Infant Safe Sleep Coalition
Every year in Georgia approximately 160 infants die due to sleep-related asphyxia, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and undetermined deaths where suffocation could not be ruled out. While these deaths have been a concern for some time in Georgia, over the last 18 months a variety of organizational and community representatives have come together to discuss the issue and strategize about what steps can be taken to reduce the numbers. Meetings have included representatives from child death review teams, Division of Family and Children Services, Prevent Child Abuse Georgia, public health, hospitals, community home visitors, parents of deceased children, and many more.
On July 16th, 2008, approximately 30 representatives from public and private agencies and community organizations came together in Atlanta for the Georgia Infant Safe Sleep Symposium. The purpose of the symposium was to review available data, discuss current efforts focused on reducing these deaths, identify barriers and determine next steps for action. The symposium was sponsored by the Infant Safe Sleep Workgroup of DeKalb and Fulton Counties and The Injury Prevention Section of the Georgia Division of Public Health. Staff from Tomorrow's Child, Michigan's Title V SIDS and Other Infant Death Program, identified a meeting facilitator and provided consultation for the symposium. Michigan's program has had success in promoting systems changes to reduce sleep-related infant deaths. The symposium was an exciting day of brainstorming and developing a vision for action that participants believed could reduce sleep-related infant deaths. Out of the symposium, the Georgia Infant Safe Sleep Coalition (GISSC) was launched. The Coalition is comprised of organizational, professional and community representatives whose mission is to reduce sleep-related infant deaths.
The first coalition meeting was held September 29th in Atlanta and had 35 people attending, over half from the group that attended the July Symposium, as well as new representatives. The meeting focused on obtaining agreement on a charter, choosing officers, and starting work groups. The Coalition's mission is to reduce sleep-related infant deaths. It decided on five vision statements to achieve the mission:
- Create a sustainable infrastructure to achieve the mission of the Coalition
- Increase the numbers of professionals and government organizations that develop and adopt policy addressing safe sleep practices
- Increase societal awareness and adoption of safe sleep practices
- Identify and obtain funding to achieve the vision of the Coalition
- Promote improved data collection and analysis of sleep-related infant deaths
While the mission of the Coalition is to reduce these deaths for all infants, black children are at twice the risk for sleep-related deaths and efforts will be made to understand this disparity and what interventions might be considered.
The Coalition now has four work groups: data, funding, professional outreach, and community outreach. Each work group has two co-chairs and will meet over the next two-three months to develop action steps and determine what is needed to address their specific areas. Among the planned steps anticipated are surveying medical personnel about existing sleep recommendations, development of standardized training for medical staff, working with law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners on death scene investigation, and surveying parents of infants about their sleep practices.
There has been wonderful interest and participation from a diverse variety of providers and from most geographic areas of the state. Participants have added this effort onto already busy schedules and the challenge for the Coalition at this stage is to obtain funding to support the activities of the workgroups. The steering committee will be pursuing funding opportunities both locally and nationally to support its work. The Coalition will meet as a group quarterly with their next meeting in late January.
For more information please contact:
Rachelle Carnesale, Chair: racarnesale
@dhr.state.ga.usor Janet Weisman Chair-elect: jeweisman
@dhr.state.ga.us. Sarah O'Leary, MPH, MA
Public Health Advisor
Program Services
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Centers for Disease Control
4770 Buford Hwy., NE, MS K-47
Atlanta, GA 30341-3717
E-mail: SOleary
@cdc.gov Bus: (770 488-8167
Fax (770) 488-8151
