Twenty babies died in their sleep in Cuyahoga County in 2022. Sixteen of those deaths might have been prevented if the infants had been placed in safer sleep locations, according to a recent report from the county’s Child Fatality Review Board. 

In an effort to reduce the number of infant sleep deaths in Greater Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health is searching for community groups to give out safe sleep kits and education materials to parents. 

The health board is offering grants of up to $10,000 to groups that work directly with residents in 16 neighborhoods with high rates of infant sleep-related deaths. Organizations will receive safe sleep survival kits, which include portable cribs, fitted sheets, sleep sacks, and educational materials. Groups will also receive money for additional resources and support for their efforts. 

“It’s important that babies in our community make it to their first birthday,” said Angela Henderson, an infant and maternal health grant program manager at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. “We want to reduce the barriers and obstacles to resources mommies, families and caregivers have when it comes to providing for their baby.”

Groups that receive a $5,000 grant will be required to distribute a minimum of 70 safe sleep kits by September 2024. Organizations receiving $10,000 grants will be required to distribute at least 140 kits.  

Henderson said groups applying must serve Black and Latino communities in the health board’s target ZIP codes. Groups must also offer services and events that address infant mortality. The deadline to apply is Jan. 17. 

We’re listening: Our health reporter, Candice Wilder, wants to know how Clevelanders are getting their health and wellness needs met this year. What are your biggest challenges or successes? Send her a note directly at [email protected].

A leading cause of infant death

Between 2017 through 2020, there were 8,981 infant deaths in the United States due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), accidental suffocation (such as parents accidentally rolling over onto an infant while both are sleeping) and undetermined causes. In Ohio, there were 666 infant sleep-related deaths during that period. 

Sleep-related incidents accounted for more than 8% of deaths for babies under one year old in Ohio and are the second leading cause of infant deaths in the state, according to a 2022 report from the state health department.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health partners with the Ohio Department of Health’s Cribs for Kids program to provide free, portable cribs and education materials to parents and caregivers. In 2023, the county health department distributed more than 700 cribs to families in need through the county’s Cribs 4 Kids program.

If you are interested in applying for a Cribs for Kids mini grant, check out the application form on the county’s website or call Angela Henderson, grant program manager, at 216-201-2001 extension 1206.