Missouri is one of the worst states for infant mortality, driving an investment in programs to reduce the number of sleep-related deaths. According to an annual report from the Missouri Department of Social Services, of all the infant deaths that were caused by non-medical reasons in 2022, 74% were tied to the child’s sleep environment. The report revealed that 103 infant deaths were marked as sleep-related in the state in 2022.
“There’s a lot of components parents must understand when it comes to safe sleep,” said Hillary Loucks, a public health nurse at Andrew County Health Department. “The biggest things that we recommend are the ABCs of safe sleep. You want baby to be alone, on their back and in a crib with no pillows or blankets because those are all just suffocation risks.
” The Safe Cribs for Missouri program is being offered across the state, giving out free cribs and sleeping education to low-income households. So far in 2024, the program has helped more than 600 Missouri families. The Andrew County Health Department provides the free cribs and staff there encourage those expecting a newborn child to enroll in the program.
“We offer a lot of supplies and education through our programs for new parents here at the health department,” Loucks said. “Families can just call us or come into the health department and we do a quick referral form to see if they would qualify. Once they qualify, they go through our safe sleep education and then an assessment af.
