On Thursday, October 29, 2009, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children will announce a new partnership formed to decrease infant mortality in Delaware. The State of Delaware Child Death, Near Death and Stillbirth Commission and the Division of Public Health (Department of Health and Social Services) have joined forces with the duPont Hospital to help reduce the risk of infant injury and death due to unsafe sleep environments by providing education and resources to families. Through the Cribs for Kids® program, cribs will be distributed free of charge to families who cannot otherwise afford one.
Delaware ranks 44th worst in the nation for infant mortality—approximately 8 out of 1,000 babies die every year. Reports show that most of these babies were not sleeping in an approved infant bed, a fact that contributed to the infants’ deaths. "As the pediatrician member of the Child Death Review panel for New Castle County, it bothered me every time I heard of an infant dying from unsafe sleeping,” says Dr. Kate Cronin, an emergency room physician at the duPont Hospital for Children. “As part of Nemours, I am thrilled to help make this Cribs for Kids chapter a reality.” According to Anne Pedrick, Executive Director of the State of Delaware Child Death, Near Death and Stillbirth Commission, of the 18 infant deaths reported in 2008 and 2009, all the babies were not in a crib or bassinette.
While deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) have decreased over the past few years, preventable infant deaths have increased, due in large part to more and more infants sleeping in inappropriate settings. The three agencies will work together to change Delaware’s ranking and ensure the following: funds are raised to sustain the program, cribs get to families who otherwise would not be able to afford one, and educational resources are available to parents about safe sleeping for their babies.
Cribs for Kids Delaware will be officially launched on Thursday, October 29, at 10:00 a.m. in the main lobby of the duPont Hospital. A fundraising walk is tentatively scheduled for May 2010. More information can be found at www.cribsforkidsde.org.
About Cribs for Kids®
Cribs for Kids began in 1998 in Pennsylvania as a safe sleep initiative to combat the high rate of infant mortality. Partnering with Graco®, Cribs for Kids provides to their chapters special portable cribs at a reduced cost in addition to educational resources. The chapters then distribute the cribs to needy families. The Cribs for Kids programs count over 240 chapters in 42 states and 2 foreign countries. As accidental infant death and SIDS disproportionately affects low-income families, this program targets a vulnerable population.