Nebraska Safe Babies Campaign

Lifespan Health

Public Health

Yes

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What you need to know

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NE DHHS) is committed to decreasing the rate of infant mortality from preventable causes. A first birthday is a milestone that we want families to celebrate.

Over the past few decades, there has been national, state, and local level attention to reducing the incidence of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and events of Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) in infants less than 1 year old.

Educating healthcare teams and parents/caregivers of infants to engage in safe sleep practices, methods to cope with infant crying and the stress of caring for a newborn are key to reducing the rates of SUID, SIDS, and AHT. In Nebraska, the Safe Sleep and Abusive Head Trauma Campaigns were initiated to promote best practices. Many hospitals and clinics participated in these campaigns and continue to promote materials and information.

The MCH Program is currently evaluating our progress in the prevention of SUID, SIDS, and AHT.

You know what the great thing about babies is? They are like little bundles of hope. Like the future in a basket.

Lish McBride

Background

1992- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) publishes recommendations for positioning infants for sleep, “Back to Sleep"
1994- National “Back to Sleep" campaign
2006- Nebraska statute 994 Section 147-150 requires every hospital, birth center or other medical facility that discharges a newborn child educate parent(s) to the safe sleep practices and the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS)
2015- NE DHHS conducts a survey of Nebraska birthing hospitals to determine a baseline regarding safe sleep messaging and employee education
2017- NE DHHS introduces the Safe Sleep Campaign for hospitals
2018- NE DHHS introduces the Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Campaign for hospitals
2019- NE DHHS introduces the Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Clinic Campaign
2019- NE statute 71-2102, 71-2103 re-addresses infant safe sleep, SIDS, SUID, and Abusive Head Trauma prevention
2020- AAP releases a policy statement pertaining to Abusive Head Trauma in infants and children
2022- AAP releases new recommendations on Safe Sleep Practices

As of December 2024,

96% of Nebraska birthing hospitals participated in the Nebraska Safe Babies campaign.
63% of hospitals were in process of completing the steps to be an AHT/SBS Prevention/Hospital Champion as of early 2024.
The MCH Program has ongoing collaboration with community stakeholders to promote Safe Sleep Practices and Abusive Head Trauma Prevention
Educational modules and parent/caregiver resources are available for members of the community and providers
In December 2024, the Nebraska Child Death Review Team released its 2024 Annual Report: Child Death Review Team Annual Report 2024. This report included a section on Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths. We recommend reading the report to learn more about the nuance in changing rates over time.

Next steps for the MCH Program

Conduct a survey of all birthing hospitals and providers in NE to re-establish our baseline, assess current practices, education, standards of care, and organizational policy. Analyze information received to gauge next steps moving forward.
Revitalize messaging, education, and information about Safe Sleep Practices and Abusive Head trauma Prevention.
Initiate a media campaign to promote safe sleep practices and abusive head trauma prevention for all members of our community.