Michigan  Child  Death  Review  Program

Summer 2005 Spotlight:

Muskegon County Water Safety Campaign

The bookmark developed by the team showcased the 'mascot' that the team adopted for their prevention effort, Safety Sam (see below).

A Water Safety Committee was formed as a result of the Muskegon County Child Death Review Team's drowning reviews. The committee developed:

• a movie trailer for local theaters

• a sign at the beach

• bookmarks distributed in schools

• placemats distributed in restaurants

• presentations at schools and local YMCA

• kids water safety awareness day

• PSAs for the radio

• water safety page added to county health department web site

• an article in the local chamber of commerce newsletter

Task Force members included representatives from local community agencies: American Red Cross Muskegon/Oceana Chapter, Muskegon Family YMCA, Muskegon County Health Department, US Coastguard Muskegon Station, Muskegon County SAFEKIDS, Community Coordinating Council, Department of Human Services, Muskegon Power Squadron, County Sheriff Marine Division, and the City of Muskegon.

Project funding included in-kind services from: Muskegon County SAFEKIDS, Howmet Castings, Mercy General Health Partners, Muskegon Chronicle, County of Muskegon Juvenile Justice, American Red Cross volunteers, FUN, Inc., City of Muskegon, Bernadette Young, and the Muskegon County Health Department.

An adjoining county also formed their own similar task force with a web site, water safety games and Corps of Engineers pier and beach safety video in the works. Since Muskegon's committee has been working to educate the public, there has been no drowning deaths in Lake Michigan in their county.

Winter 2005 Spotlight:

Capital Area Infant Safe Sleep Coalition

On Thursday, March 10, 2005 the Capital Area Infant Safe Sleep Coalition sponsored a community media event to launch its “Keep Infants Sleeping Safely” public health education campaign.  The goal of the campaign is to educate all parents and infant caregivers in the Capital Area about best safe sleep practices.  The event, held at Spartan Child Development Center in East Lansing, brought together representatives from the Ingham County Health Department, Sparrow Health System, and Tomorrow’s Child (formerly Michigan’s SIDS Alliance).  The speakers discussed the problem that too many infants (12 months and younger) around the State and in the Capital Area are dying from unsafe sleep environments.

The Back to Sleep campaign has improved the generally accepted sleeping position for infants and helped decrease SIDS.   However, even babies put to sleep on their backs are not fully protected if their sleep environment is unsafe with the risks of suffocation or entrapment.

Steps to creating a safe sleep environment for babies include:

• Babies will sleep alone in a crib, portable crib, or bassinet.

• Babies will sleep on a firm mattress with a tightly fitted sheet.

• Babies will be put to sleep on their backs, even when able to roll over.

• Babies’ sleep area will be free of pillows, blankets, comforters, stuffed animals and other soft things.

• Babies’ faces will be kept uncovered during sleep for easy breathing.

• Babies will be dressed in as much or as little clothing as adults are wearing, as to not overheat.

Child care providers who follow these steps can take the “Safe Sleep Pledge” by clicking on the links below.  The following links are for the KISS Pledge Certificate in two formats to download, print, sign and display.   Providers are invited to show families that you are doing your part to help Keep Infants Sleeping Safely. 

Safe Sleep Pledge Sheet [.doc] [.pdf] 

The website created for the initiative can be viewed HERE.