SJC Safe Sleep Initiative aims to reduce sleep-related deaths among infants

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- The St. Joseph County Safe Sleep Initiative aims to reduce sleep-related deaths among infants by promoting safe sleep practices.

The campaign, supported by local mayors, which targets maternal and infant health professionals, is set to last two years and includes digital ads, outreach to healthcare providers, and a social media kit for community partners.

The initiative emphasizes eliminating sleep-related deaths, which can be caused by accidental suffocation or positional asphyxia, by giving babies space to breathe.

Health officials say St. Joseph County has seen a significant decrease in infant mortality, with the lowest rate ever recorded in the last 1,000 births.

Sally Dixon, Beacon Health Maternal Infant Health Coordinator, said, "Yeah, so I think most people are familiar with the term Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS, and that term was coined back in the late 1960s and what we understand now is that sometimes these sleep-related deaths might be of an undetermined cause, but other causes that fall under this category of sleep-related death are accidental suffocation or positional asphyxia. And so, we know that whatever the cause is, that finding that safe sleep and giving babies room to breathe are what prevent it."