About the National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Resource Center

The National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death Resource Center (Resource Center) serves as a central source of information on sudden infant death and on promoting healthy outcomes for infants from the prenatal period through the first year of life and beyond.

Background

In the 1970s, in response to concerns about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the federal government passed two important pieces of legislation. The Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Act of 1974 assigned the responsibility for SIDS research to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and designated the establishment of counseling programs through the Office of Maternal and Child Health (now the Maternal and Child Health Bureau [MCHB]). Public Law 96-142, enacted in 1979, established a national clearinghouse for the dissemination of information on SIDS to health professionals, community service personnel, SIDS parents, and the general public. Pursuant to the congressional mandate, the National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center (originally the National SIDS Clearinghouse), which was operated by Circle Solutions, provided information services, educational materials, and technical assistance to those affected by a SIDS diagnosis. With the direction of MCHB in the mid-1990s, the center broadened its emphasis to include other infant death.

In 2007, the center was renamed the National Sudden Infant Death Resource Center (Resource Center), and the operation moved to Georgetown University’s National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health. It is now co-located with the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library and draws on the library’s extensive resource capacities and public health perspective. As of 2008, the National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Resource Center reflects both a new name and a broader focus for the SIDS/Infant Death program. Supported by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the new cooperative agreement comprises a national consortium of four centers. Like many state and local initiatives, the national consortium has expanded its program to include pregnancy loss (i.e. miscarriage) and stillbirth, as well as sudden and unexpected infant and child death. All four centers serve this mission, yet each center has a unique purpose and provides distinct resources and services. The centers maintain close collaborative relationships while addressing cross-cutting issues.

Addressing the Challenge: The SIDS and Other Infant Death (SIDS/ID) Consortium

In the United States today, nearly 28,000 infants do not live to celebrate their first birthday. Although SIDS deaths decreased by 53% during the first decade after the Back-to-Sleep Campaign (1992–2002), SIDS remains the leading cause of death in infants ages 1–12 months (postneonatal period). As SIDS deaths declined, postneonatal mortality from other causes of sudden unexpected infant death increased significantly in the same 10-year period. In addition, fetal death and stillbirth are significant threats to healthy birth outcomes. Nationwide, about 15 percent of all known pregnancies result in miscarriage, and approximately 26,000 infants are stillborn each year (about 70 stillbirths each day). The causes of many fetal and infant deaths are still unknown, and dramatic disparities in infant death rates persist among racial and ethnic populations in the United States.

As our knowledge and understanding of infant mortality has evolved, MCHB has implemented initiatives to reduce infant deaths and to support families affected by this devastating loss. MCHB currently funds the Resource Center as part of a consortium of four centers. All share the goal of reducing sudden infant deaths and assisting bereaved families, yet each center has a unique purpose and core responsibilities.

• the Resource Center serves as a central information resource to collect and disseminate state-of-the-art knowledge on research, programs, and services to diverse audiences.
• Project IMPACT, affiliated with the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, strengthens policy development and communication among states and communities through broad-based tools such as the state-to-state e-mail discussion list.
• The SIDS/ID Program Support Center, administered by the parent-professional organization First Candle, promotes development of community-based services for bereavement support and risk reduction and provides a bilingual crisis counseling helpline for families.
• The National Center for Cultural Competence SIDS/Infant Death Project provides training, technical assistance, and consultation in cultural and linguistic competence to help service providers effectively address racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality.

Resource Center Core Activities

To advance knowledge in the field and to meet the needs of multiple audiences, the Resource Center

• Provides a toll-free information line and e-mail service to answer requests for information or publications.
• Maintains an accessible Web site with continuously updated information, resources, and links to programs and services.
• Identifies informational and educational needs within the MCH and sudden infant death communities.
• Develops print and Web-based materials for professionals and the public.
• Dedicates one issue per month of the MCH Alert electronic newsletter to highlighting current infant mortality topics.
• Maintains comprehensive searchable databases of information.
• Connects people with programs and services through direct referrals.
• Promotes awareness and enhances knowledge through outreach activities.
• Works closely with MCHB and its consortium partners, parent-professional organizations, and government agencies.

How to reach us

National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Resource Center
Georgetown University
Box 571272
Washington, DC 20057-1272
(866) 866-7437 (toll-free)
(202) 687-7466
(202) 784-9777 (fax)
info@sidscenter.org
http://www.sidscenter.org

Guidelines to borrow or obtain copies of Resource Center materials

The Resource Center provides electronic, full-text access to a wide variety of publications, both those published by the Resource Center and those published by a wide variety of other organizations and agencies with expertise in SIDS, other infant or child death, pregnancy loss, bereavement and related topics. To obtain print copies of publications listed on this Web site:

For documents published by the Resource Center, fill out the online order form and fax or mail it to us, or call us at the numbers listed below.

For journal articles and other documents published by other organizations or agencies, contact the publisher of the individual items or visit lending libraries in your area such as university or public libraries. Contact information is given within each item.

When materials are not available from other sources, limited photocopies or loans are available from the Resource Center, within levels permitted by the U.S. copyright laws.

To request materials, contact us by phone at (866) 866-7437 (toll free) or (202) 687-7466 (local), or by e-mail at info@sidscenter.org. Photocopies are provided to all audiences; loans are provided directly to health professionals and through interlibrary loan to other audiences (consult your local library for interlibrary loans).

We welcome on-site users. Please schedule an appointment in advance so we may be sure someone will be available to assist you. Resource Center hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.