Safe to Sleep® Collaborators and Partners

The NICHD directs and maintains the national Safe to Sleep® campaign with support from the following collaborators:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)   is an organization of pediatricians who are committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In addition, the safe sleep messages outlined in Safe to Sleep® materials are based on recommendations from the AAP Task Force on SIDS. You can read the latest policy statement from the AAP Task Force on SIDS (2011)  .
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)   is an organization of obstetricians and gynecologists that advocates for quality health care for women, maintains standards of clinical practice and continuing education for its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women's health care. In addition to women's health care information for health care providers at https://www.acog.org/  , ACOG provides information for patients at https://www.acog.org/For_Patients  .
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States.
  • CDC's Division of Reproductive Health works to promote optimal and equitable health in women and infants through public health activities and aims to improve the investigation and monitoring of SIDS and other SUID and to identify opportunities for prevention and reduction in racial and ethnic disparities.
  • CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (the Injury Center) is a focal point for public health approaches to preventing violence and injuries and their consequences, including reducing infant suffocation, a preventable contributor to SUID.
  • CDC provides information about its SUID/SIDS-related activities at http://www.cdc.gov/sids/.
  • CDC information about suffocation for caregivers is available at http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/Suffocation/.
• The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a federal agency charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under its jurisdiction.
• First Candle   (formerly the SIDS Alliance) is a national nonprofit health organization that unites parents, caregivers, and researchers nationwide with government, business, and community service groups to advance infant health and survival. First Candle provides information on SIDS and safe sleep to new and expecting parents as well as grief-related information and services for those who have lost a child.
• The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aims to improve the health of mothers, children, and families through support of programs that assure access to quality care and provide assistance for those who want to apply for support services and programs, such as Medicaid, among other functions. MCHB supports the National Action Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep (NAPPSS)  , a coalition working to develop and implement a practical action plan to make safe infant sleep a national norm.

In addition, the following groups and organizations (listed in alphabetical order by name) conduct activities related to promoting safe sleep for infants and reducing infant mortality. Please note that some of these links do not provide additional information on SIDS or safe sleep, but rather take the user to information about the organizations.

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  
  • AAP Task Force on SIDS  
  • AAP Healthy Child Care America Safe Sleep Campaign  
• The American SIDS Institute   is a national nonprofit health care organization dedicated to the prevention of sudden infant death and the promotion of infant health through a comprehensive nationwide program of research, clinical services, education, and family support. 
• The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP)   is a national resource, partner, and advocate for state public health leaders and others working to improve the health of women, children, youth, and families, including those with special health care needs.
• The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is a membership organization that empowers and supports nurses caring for women, newborns, and their families through research, education, and advocacy. Their members are committed to making a difference in the lives and the health of women and newborns. AWHONN is a long-time partner of the Safe to Sleep^® campaign and of other NICHD-led public health programs and activities. Members of AWHONN have also provided expertise to the campaign by serving as technical reviewers and on the update planning committee for the campaign’s Continuing Education Activity for Nurses on Safe Infant Sleep.
• The Children's Safety Network (CSN)   is a national resource center for the prevention of childhood injuries and violence.
• Cribs for Kids   is a safe sleep education program for low-income families that aims to help reduce the risk of injury and death of infants due to unsafe sleep environments.
• The Federal SUID/SIDS Workgroup represents multiple federal agencies that have established a partnership to coordinate activities, research, and outreach related to reducing infant mortality caused by SUID and SIDS. Members of the workgroup include:
  • The Administration for Children and Families within HHS promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.
  • CDC is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities in the United States.
    • Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, CDC Injury Center, seeks to prevent violence and injuries, and reduce their consequences.
    • Maternal and Infant Health Branch, Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, seeks to help ensure that all women have a safe and healthy pregnancy.
  • The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is a federal agency charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under its jurisdiction.
  • The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a part of the National Institutes of Health, leads research and training to understand human development, improve reproductive health, enhance the lives of children and adolescents, and optimize abilities for all.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within HHS consists of the Office of the Commissioner and four directorates overseeing the core functions of the agency: Medical Products and Tobacco, Foods, Global Regulatory Operations and Policy, and Operations.
  • The Indian Health Service (IHS) within HHS is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
  • The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of HRSA, in partnership with key stakeholders, provides leadership to improve the physical and mental health, safety and well-being of the maternal and child health population, which includes all of the nation's women, infants, children, adolescents, and their families as well as fathers and children with special health care needs.
  • The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Military and Community Family Policy, Family Advocacy Program, Department of Defense   provides Military OneSource at no cost to active-duty, Guard, and Reserve service members and their families with comprehensive information on every aspect of military life including deployment, reunion, relationships, grief, spouse employment and education, and parenting and child care.
  • The Office of Minority Health (OMH) within the HHS Office of the Secretary is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.
• Kappa Alpha Psi^®, Fraternity, Incorporated (Kappa)   is a private not-for-profit collegiate Greek-letter multi-cultural fraternity with over 150,000 members and 721 undergraduate and alumni chapters nationwide. Kappa and NICHD collaborate on the Safe Sleep Fatherhood Outreach Initiative to teach fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, and other community stakeholders about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death.
• Keeping Babies Safe (KBS)   is a nonprofit child product safety organization that provides education, assistance, and leadership in keeping babies safe from preventable injuries associated with unsafe cribs and unsafe sleep environments.
• The March of Dimes  , originally established to help prevent polio, supports research and programs to prevent birth defects and infant mortality. Since 2003, the March of Dimes also has supported a Prematurity Awareness Campaign  .
• The National Action Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep (NAPPSS)   website features the National Action Plan to Increase Safe Infant Sleep; the NAPPSS Newsletter with updates about the Action Plan's implementation; an information brief about SUID, safe sleep practices, and breastfeeding; and a roster of NAPPSS coalition members, including NICHD and the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. A resource page links to key resources about safe infant sleep and breastfeeding; images of safe sleep environments and breastfeeding support; statistics; recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics; Healthy People 2020 objectives; and the HRSA/MCHB National Performance Measures.
• The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the nation's principal health statistics agency. The NCHS gathers statistics on infant health and mortality, including SIDS and SUID.
• The The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention   is a resource center for state and local child death review programs, funded by the MCHB, which promotes, supports, and enhances child death review methodology and activities at the state, community, and national levels.
• The National Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Program (NFIMR)   is an action-oriented community process that continually assesses, monitors, and works to improve service systems and community resources for women, infants, and families.
• The National Sudden Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Program Support Center (PSC)  , supported by First Candle, provides programs and services for professionals working in the health and human service arena. The PSC offers guidance and materials for educational efforts on reducing the risk of infant death as well as provides compassionate grief support to those affected by an infant death.
• The National SUID/SIDS Project at the National Center for Cultural Competence   at Georgetown University is designed to increase the capacity of state and local SUID programs, family support and advocacy organizations, national organizations related to SUID/SIDS issues, and the three other National Centers funded by HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau to incorporate cultural and linguistic competence into their services and supports, materials and training efforts, and community engagement.
• The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)   is an independent nonprofit coalition of more than 50 organizations   that support its mission to drive collaborative efforts for policy and practices that create a landscape of breastfeeding support across the United States.
• Safe Kids Worldwide   is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing home-related injuries.