Sleep Safely Program – The ABCs of safe sleep include – A–Alone, B-Back, C-Crib
In 2019, the Florida Department of Children and Families reported 69 sleep-related infant deaths in Florida. Tragically, Duval County saw the highest rate of unsafe sleep deaths per capita in all of Florida. The Florida Child Abuse Death Review Team identified unsafe sleep environments as the #1 cause of child fatalities, with drowning and trauma distant second and third causes. The education of our community about deaths due to unsafe sleep environments was not addressed effectively before the Sleep Safely Program began in January 2020 funded by the Florida Department of Health. The goal was to provide this education to the families of the approximately 15,000 babies born in our area each year about the ABC’s of Safe Sleep – Alone-Back-Crib – to decrease/prevent such heartbreaking deaths. As part of this program, each family with a newborn receives brief training, a tote bag with a special children’s book – Sleep Baby Safe & Snug, the ABC checklist, electric safety plug covers – all with the ABC logo to serve as reminders to the family about safe sleep environments at a cost of about $3 to $4 per tote. This children’s book – Sleep Baby Safe & Snug was actually written by a family who did suffer such a tragedy in their own family, and they are passionate about sharing this education about safe sleep environments.
Birthing hospitals and staff have embraced and been enthusiastic about including this information to each newborn’s family before hospital discharge. Volunteers to put the tote bags together have come from the University of North Florida, high school students and area community volunteers. This is truly a community-wide effort. When the funding for the program was exhausted in mid-2020, First Coast Healing Hands, Inc. stepped up to support this effective practice, because all could see the importance and impact of continuing this life-saving program.
