Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children and the state have collaborated to bring Cribs for Kids to Delaware, a program that distributes free cribs to families who cannot afford one.
The Delaware Child Death, Near Death and Stillbirth Commission and the Division of Public Health 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.
Cribs for Kids Delaware will be officially launched onThursday, Oct. 29, 2009 in the main lobby of the duPont Hospital.
Delaware ranks 44th worst in the nation for infant mortality. Eight 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 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. They will work to ensure funds are raised to sustain the program, that 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.
A May, 2010 fundraising walk is tentatively scheduled. More information can be found at www.cribsforkidsde.org.
