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Pitt County health officials report 45 child deaths in 2024, recommend crib drives and Spanish mental‑health training
Summary
At the May meeting, the Pitt County Board of Health heard a child fatality prevention report noting 45 child deaths in 2024 and recommendations including crib and pack‑and‑play distribution, increased gun‑lock availability, and Spanish‑language mental‑health first aid training.
The Pitt County Board of Health on Monday heard an annual report from the local Child Fatality Prevention Team that the county recorded 45 child deaths in 2024 and that reviewers selected 14 cases for in‑depth review.
Vashti Kittrell, coordinator of women's and children's health education at the health department, told the board that many deaths were attributable to prematurity or birth defects and therefore not always amenable to system changes; the team focused reviews on deaths where preventive actions could make a difference. "In 2024, we had 45 child deaths, and the team or our subcommittee chose to review only 14 of those," Kittrell said.
Lauren Roach, the team's review coordinator, summarized the causes identified in 2024 reviews: "The causes of death were unsafe sleep, suicides, motor vehicle accidents, drug use, violence, and exposure to flammable materials." The local team drew actionable recommendations from the reviews, including more creative outreach and education, wider distribution of gun locks and safety boxes, crib and pack‑and‑play donation events, and offering mental‑health first aid training in Spanish.
Board members asked how the recommended supplies and trainings would be funded. Kittrell said funding is a mix of county dollars, grant addenda tied to the state agreement, and collaboration with community partners. "We collaborated with the city of Greenville recently for one of their baby showers where we purchased some pack‑and‑plays and cribs," she said, adding that the department also uses county funds to purchase and loan some items.
The report also urged nontraditional outreach locations, such as courts, and stronger coordination with services that make home visits. The presenters said resource needs include additional pack‑and‑plays, car seats and sustained grant funding for education and distribution programs.
The board received the report and had no formal vote on the recommendations; members asked for follow‑up on funding sources and how the department plans to operationalize distribution events.
