New Safe Sleep Partnership Sees
Success in First Year
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other sleep-related deaths are a leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in Duval County and northeast Florida. After an increase in the rate of infant deaths between 2003 and 2005 due to unsafe sleep practices, a region-wide comprehensive awareness and information campaign, The Safe Sleep Partnership, was launced in October 2006, with full implementation occuring January through December 2007. Target populations for the campaign included healthcare providers, new and expectant families, and the general public. Campaign funding was provided by the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition.
A 15 member, multi-agency leadership committee, staffed in-kind by the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, met monthly since the start of the campaign to develop and monitor the action plan and to make financial decisions - providing over 100 volunteer hours to the initiative. The Partnership developed safe sleep flyers, brochures, and static cling stickers based on focus group results. These and other educational materials were used during a six-month media campaign - including JTA bus ads, billboards, and community newspaper ads.
The successes of the Northeast Florida Safe Sleep Partnership seen in the first year of the campaign include:
- A 6% decrease in sleep-related deaths as a proportion of all infant deaths in the region between 2005 (21%) and 2006 (15%) and a corresponding rate of decrease of 0.5/1,000 births during that same time (1.7 vs. 1.21)
- Dr. Fern Hauck, a SIDS researcher and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force of SIDS, spoke to over 100 healthcare providers in both St. Augustine and Jacksonville
- Over 400 staff from family- and child-serving agencies have attended various community trainings on safe sleep
- A total of 95 participants, with representation from Duval and the surrounding counties, participated in 12 focus groups in order to identify current safe sleep knowledge in the community, trusted sources of information, and effective safe sleep messages and materials
- The Partnership was invited to speak at the National SIDS and Infant Death Project IMPACT quarterly partners' meeting and was also featured during a poster session at the National Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (NFIMR) conference
SIDS and other sleep-related causes of death are still the leading cause of death for babies between one month and one year of age in Northeast Florida. Heading in to 2008, the Northeast Healthy Start Coalition will therefore continue to staff and coordinate the Partnership in-kind over the next year. The Partnership hopes to gain additional funds in order to enhance and continue the existing media campaign, implement community workshops/focus groups in order to understand reasons for co-sleeping -including concern for infants' safety and community violence, expand a nurse-patient education model to all delivering hospitals in the region to ensure a consistent safe sleep message and resources, and more.
For information about the materials developed by the Northeast Florida Safe Sleep Partnership, or to learn more about the Partnership itself, please contact Katie Wehr at (904) 723-5422, ext. 112, or via email kwehr@nefhsc.org.
Black Infant Mortality Reduction Resource Center Launches New Website
The Black Infant Mortality Reduction Resource Center, an affiliate of the Northern New Jersey Maternal/Child Health Consortium, announced the launch of its new interactive website on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. Located in Paramus, NJ, the center is designed to create opportunities to improve maternal and child health. As part of the BIMRR Center's new initiative PETALS - Providing Learning Through Advocacy and Learning Strategies - the website offers consumers a place to get the most current and relevant information about issues pertaining to Black infant mortality. Visitors to the site will also have an opportunity to take surveys and receive free gifts. Additionally, the website will feature a conclusive health and social services directory which will provide information about statewide and national Maternal and Child Health resources. For more information about the services offered at the Black Infant Mortality Reduction Resource Center/PETALS, please visit www.maternalchildhealth.org/petals or call (888) 665-6242.
