EMS & Injury Prevention System Branch

 Lisa Kimura – Executive Director

Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (HMHB) is happy to  announce free comprehensive safe sleep education program, Hawaii Cribs for Kids, available on all islands! The program provides safe sleep education based on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines, and a free GRACO Pack N Play® travel crib for families who cannot otherwise  afford to provide their baby with a safe place to sleep.

HMHB mobilized local organizations that serve populations at greatest risk; training prenatal case managers and social workers to screen and refer eligible participants. The Big Island now has three program partner agencies spanning throughout the island: West Hawaii Community Center (Kona), North Hawaii Community Hospital (Waimea) and Bay Clinic Inc. (Hilo). Kauai now has four partner agencies: Wilcox Medical Center (Lihue), Hua Moon Women’s Health (Kapaa), Child & Family Service and WIC.

Unintentional suffocation is a leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injury among infants and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death among infants between the age of one month and one year; the third leading cause of infant mortality overall in the United States.

Specifically, in Hawaii, SIDS accounts for 41% of all post-neonatal deaths in the State, with data indicating that only 35.4% of babies usually sleep in an environment that meets all of the recommendations for a safe sleep environment. Many families are unaware of the simple preventative steps they can take, as well as the behaviors and risk factors that endanger their infant, so education is an ongoing area of importance for the nearly 19,000 births each year.

Follow-up surveys with participants show that safe sleep practices are retained and practiced, even up to a year after their child is born. For more information on Cribs for Kids or other HMHB services, please contact (808) 737-5805 or email: [email protected].

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). 2011. Available from URL: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html.
2. Elia J, Roberson E, Niitani L. “Hawaii Safe Sleep Quick Facts.” Honolulu, HI: Hawaii Department of Health. 2013. Available from URL: https://health.hawaii.gov/mchb/files/2013/05/HawaiiSafeSleepQuickFacts_2013Update.pdf.