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Davidson County health staff detail 13 child deaths reviewed and merged review process
Summary
Health department staff reported that 13 child fatalities from 2024 were reviewed by the Child Fatality Prevention Team and described operational changes after the July 1, 2025 merger with the county's Community Child Protection Team; the county has begun entering reviews into a national database and plans to invest new funds in fire-prevention strategies.
The Davidson County Board of Health received a report April 14 on the Child Fatality Prevention Team’s review of 13 deaths that occurred in 2024 and an update on changes to how such deaths will be reviewed going forward. Mary Lou Collett, director of nursing, said the 2024 reviews were completed by the CFPT before it merged July 1, 2025, with the Community Child Protection Team (CCPT). The merged team will meet the state’s new instructions for which deaths are subject to review and will submit records to a national database beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
Collett said the team plans to use newly secured funding for fire‑prevention strategies after several house fires this year, and that the department continues to distribute Pack 'n Plays to families in need through partnerships with law enforcement. "The review of a child's death is one of the hardest and most painful things a public health professional is called to do," Health Director Lillian Koontz said, thanking staff for their leadership on the team.
Koontz and Collett emphasized that the 13 deaths discussed were reviewed solely by CFPT under the earlier, separate process and did not involve the Department of Social Services during the 12‑month review period for those cases. Going forward, the combined team will carry a single membership roster and will present a consolidated report reflecting the merged review process.
Next steps identified by the board included continuing the new national database entry process, using the targeted funding for fire‑prevention work, and preparing the merged team's annual report for the next meeting cycle. The board did not take any formal action or vote on policy changes during the presentation.
