Northeast Florida's Partnership to

Reduce Infant Mortality

The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition in collaboration with community partners has an exciting new initiative to reduce infant mortality in their community -- the Northeast Florida Safe Sleep Partnership. Partners include area health departments, hospitals, the local medical society, and agencies serving children and families.

This education and awareness campaign was created in response to the increasing number of sleep-related deaths over the past five years.  Sleeping infant deaths make up 14% of all infant deaths in the region.  In order to establish the cause of this increase and address the needs of its residents, focus groups were held in northeast Florida to identify current beliefs on infant safe sleep practices, trusted sources of information, and effective safe sleep messages and materials.  There were 12 focus groups created in January, 2007, made up of nearly 100 participants from the region's five counties. 

From these groups, the Safe Sleep Partners determined that they needed to address parental concerns about back sleeping, including the likelihood of choking, the baby’s preferred sleeping position, and how to properly soothe the baby to sleep.  Focus group findings led the partners to develop a media campaign and other materials to promote the safe sleep message to the public.  Additional activities of the partnership have included editorials in local newspapers on the efforts of the group, an "Update on SIDS" presentation by Dr. Fern Hauck to over 100 healthcare professionals in two of the counties, and the implementation of universal safe sleep education for area hospitals' nursing staff. 

The Northeast Florida Safe Sleep Partnership's goal is to reduce sleep-related infant deaths by 50% by January, 2008, when the partnership is slated to end.  Progress is monitored in monthly committee meetings, evaluations, and future FIMR findings.

Resource Development

Resource development is critical for State SIDS and Infant Death Programs, many of whom face shrinking support at the state and local levels. This page of the website is intended to provide you with ideas for new resources and partnerships across sectors.

Project IMPACT welcomes all state programs to submit to Project IMPACT information on your successes—and your gaffes (that we can learn from) to: info@sidsprojectimpact.com.  In addition to ideas from state programs, this page serves to highlight organizational partnerships that may be picked up by state and local programs. It will also provide non-profit management materials that address issues faced by the State SIDS/ID Programs. Other ideas? Contact Kathy Brandenburg, (800) 930-7437 or kbrandenburg@sidsprojectimpact.com.