Resource Kit Available To Reduce Incidence Of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

To commemorate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Month, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, unveiled a resource kit for reducing the risk of SIDS in African American communities. Dr. Satcher challenged leaders of African American organizations to join a national campaign to reduce SIDS and infant mortality in African American communities, where infants are twice as likely to die from SIDS as are White infants. "New partnerships are the tools we need to continue the dramatic success we have witnessed with the National Back to Sleep campaign in 1994," said Secretary Shalala. To help organizations initiate SIDS risk reduction programs, NBCDI, NICHD, and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), have developed a resource kit that contains culturally appropriate materials including fact sheets, brochures, magnets, and a leader's guide to encourage people to lead discussion groups in various community settings on several ways to reduce the risk of SIDS. To request a Resource Kit, call the Back to Sleep Campaign at 1.800.505.CRIB. The kits will be available until the end of October. The kit is also downloadable at http://www.nichd.nih.gov or http://156.40.88.3/sids/