CONTACT
David Hudson, Communications and Legislative Services, (402) 471-4047
David.Hudson@nebraska.gov
LINCOLN – Building on the success of the Nebraska Safe Babies Hospital campaigns on Safe Sleep and the prevention of Abusive Head Trauma/Shaken Baby Syndrome (AHT/SBS), the new Nebraska Safe Babies Campaign is aimed at the clinic setting to further reinforce this information with parents and caregivers.
In Nebraska, between 2010 and 2017, 184 babies' deaths were associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/ Sudden Unexplained Infant Death and 12 deaths were associated with AHT, also known as Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Even one infant death is too many, said program director Jackie Moline, Maternal Infant Program Coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
“The stresses of parenthood can be intense, but with proper education DHHS and partners are helping parents understand the right way to deal with a crying infant," she said. “This new program provides us with another route to share the message. We want caregivers to hear the same message wherever the care of their child happens to take them."
To become a Clinic Champion, clinics will complete five steps: sign a pledge; incorporate infant safe sleep and AHT/SBS prevention into a policy; provide prevention education to clinic personnel and providers annually; educate parents with evidenced based prevention materials; and incorporate Safe Sleep; AHT/SBS prevention and The Crying Plan education into each well visit for a baby's first year.
Clinic Champions receive:
- Recognition on the DHHS website and through social media.
- AHT/SBS Prevention Hospital Champion certificate, suitable for display.
- A press release template.
The original hospital- and community-based Nebraska Safe Babies program is going strong.
Twenty-seven Nebraska hospitals and two Iowa hospitals have completed the requirements to become Abusive Head Trauma/Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Champions, and 47 Nebraska hospitals and two Iowa hospitals are now Safe Sleep Champions. A complete list is available at http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Nebraska-Safe-Babies-Hospitals.aspx.
Currently, 96% of Nebraska birthing hospitals and two in Iowa have completed or are committed to becoming a Safe Sleep Hospital Champion and 63% are in the process of completing the steps or are an AHT/SBS Prevention Hospital Champion. Out in the community, the Nebraska Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, Child Care Licensing, and Nebraska Child and Family Services further the impact of these important prevention messages.
To become an AHT/SBS Prevention Hospital Champion, the hospital signs a pledge, creates or updates an AHT/SBS policy, provides yearly education to hospital personnel, educates parents with evidence-based AHT/SBS materials in accordance with Nebraska Revised Statute 71-2103, and incorporates The Crying Plan into post-discharge patient calls.
To become a Safe Sleep Champion, the hospital signs a pledge, creates or updates a Safe Sleep Policy, provides yearly education to hospital personnel, models safe sleep recommendations, and educates parents with evidence-based safe sleep materials in accordance with Nebraska Revised Statute 71-2103 and the 2016 American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep Recommendations.
For more information about the new Nebraska Safe Babies Clinic Campaign or the hospital-based program, contact Jackie Moline, Maternal Infant Program Coordinator, at (402) 471-0165 or by email at jackie.moline@nebraska.gov. Learn more about the NE Safe Babies Clinic Campaign at: http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Nebraska-Safe-Babies-Hospitals.aspx
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