St. Joseph County health leaders have launched a new campaign to prevent infants from dying in their sleep.
The initiative, called Babies Need to Breathe, was unveiled this week at the County Library’s Community Learning Center as part of Safe Sleep Awareness Month. It’s led by the St. Joseph County Fetal Infant Mortality Review Community Action Team, with a goal of reducing sleep-related infant deaths to zero by 2027.
Although the county has made progress, sleep-related deaths still account for about 20 percent of infant deaths locally, making it the leading cause of death for babies older than one week who have gone home from the hospital.
Maternal Infant Health Coordinator Sally Dixon said the campaign stresses simple, proven practices: babies should sleep alone, on their backs, in their own crib or bassinet.
“We want to prevent unsafe sleep-related deaths and have zero by 2027. And by really stressing for families that all of the things they learn about safe sleep, having babies alone in their own sleep space, but in the same room as them, on their back, in their own crib, is all about babies having room to breathe,” Dixon said.
The two-year campaign includes digital ads on Facebook, educational outreach to prenatal and pediatric care providers, and a social media toolkit for community partners. Organizers are also encouraging parents and caregivers to become “safe sleep ambassadors” by sharing the message with others.
“We've learned through 10 years of research here locally and then many, many years as a country that these deaths are preventable. And if they give them a space to breathe, we can eliminate sleep-related deaths,” Dixon said.
City leaders in South Bend and Mishawaka have also proclaimed October as Safe Sleep Awareness Month in support of the campaign.
