Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
Cradle Cincinnati reports long-term drop in infant mortality but flags rise in sleep-related deaths
Loading...
Summary
Cradle Cincinnati and local health departments told commissioners the county has seen a roughly 50% decline in infant mortality since 2009 but that sleep-related deaths have in recent data increased as a share of infant deaths; the groups plan a safe-sleep summit and targeted communications in high-need ZIP codes.
Cradle Cincinnati, county health departments report progress on infant mortality and target safe-sleep outreach. At the July 29 Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners meeting, Cradle Cincinnati, joined by Hamilton County Public Health and the Cincinnati Health Department, reported a long-term decline in infant mortality since Cradle’s 2011 launch but emphasized an uptick in sleep-related deaths in recent data and announced expanded outreach and a planned safe-sleep summit. Lauren Everett, associate director of Cradle Cincinnati, told commissioners that infant deaths countywide have fallen roughly 50% between 2009 and 2024 and that the county reached the national average in 2023. The presentation said the leading cause of infant death historically has been extreme preterm birth but that sleep-related deaths have become a larger share of the remaining cases and now require renewed attention. Cradle’s analysis of 2024 sleep-related deaths found that 27% involved unsafe use of nursing pillows (used as or left in sleep spaces) and 53% involved cobedding (an infant sharing a sleeping surface where another person rolled over on the infant). Officials said all sleep-related deaths in the dataset involved infants younger than six months, with many occurring between one and three months of age. Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman and Cincinnati Health Department Commissioner Dr. Grant Musman described local health-department supports, including vital-statistics analysis, community health workers, clinic-based prenatal care and a Cribs-for-Kids program. Cradle Cincinnati described planned activity including a partner task force meeting in August, a safe-sleep summit in September, a digital ad campaign in summer/fall and a larger communications push in early 2026. The group said it will target ZIP codes with the highest rates of extreme preterm birth and sleep-related deaths for outreach and services. Cradle Cincinnati noted that the initiative’s model is being used as a template in other Ohio cities; the governor’s office and the Ohio Department of Children and Youth invited Cradle to help spread the model to Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo beginning in May 2025. Commissioners offered to issue a proclamation for Safe Sleep Awareness Month in October and asked presenters about socioeconomic patterns in the impacted ZIP codes; presenters said socioeconomic factors, access to care and household circumstances are being explored through community advisory groups and focus groups that engage affected families, including researchers from the community. Cradle and the health departments asked commissioners and county staff to support expanded safe-sleep communications, increased access to doulas and postpartum supports, and ongoing data-driven, place-based outreach.
