Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Prevention

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Prevention Program. The purpose of the SUID Prevention Program is to reduce overall rates of SUID and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in SUID by supporting pediatric health care practitioners to provide evidence-based counseling and education to infant caregivers and families; to guide system improvements; and to identify and support policy changes that address state- and community- specific SUID risks. For more details, see Program Expectations. The goals of the SUID Prevention Program are to: • Identify and promote state and community best practices in safe infant sleep and SUID prevention through a national coalition with broad representation of pediatric providers, social service providers, fatality review leaders, community organizations that represent those at highest risk for SUID, and families who have experienced a SUID; • Increase pediatric providers’ awareness, understanding, and use of fetal/infant mortality review (FIMR) and child death review (CDR) team data, findings, and recommendations that describe state- and community-specific causes of SUID and how these relate to infant caregiver/family practices, health and social services systems, and local policies; and • Engage pediatric providers in assisting infant caregivers/families to create a safe sleep environment through assessments for SUID risk and protective factors, counseling and education, working as a member of a FIMR or CDR team and associated community action teams and advisory boards to address social service system improvements, and initiate local policy changes to better address community-specific SUID risks. In order to achieve the goals, the recipient should meet the following objectives: • Within 3 months of the project launch, convene and lead a national coalition that engages nationally recognized organizations with expertise in SUID, safe infant sleep practices, breastfeeding, maternal health, fatality reviews, and culturally responsive infant caregiver/family communication. • Within 6 months of the project launch, in partnership with the coalition and HRSA, establish criteria to identify best practices including examples of successful implementation of prevention strategies that address state/community specific SUID risks achieved through collaboration among state/community FIMR/CDR teams, community action teams (CATs), State Advisory Boards or other SUID prevention groups, and pediatric providers; • Within 6 months of project launch, promote the participation of pediatric providers in CATs. • Within 12 months of project launch, promote and disseminate best practices and examples of successful implementation of prevention strategies; and • By the end of the project, develop and disseminate tools and resources that assist pediatric providers in taking action based on their state/community fatality review data, findings, and recommendations, including but not limited to: o Assessing for SUID risk and protective factors; o Identifying specific challenges faced by infant caregivers/families; o Providing counseling and education to infant caregivers/families that is evidence-based, culturally responsive, comprehensive, and that emphasizes SUID risks that are specific to their state/community; o Identifying gaps and barriers in health and social service systems and local policies that propagate racial/ethnic disparities in SUID; and o Partnering to implement community-specific SUID prevention strategies.

Eligible applicants include any domestic public or private entity, including an Indian tribe or tribal organization (as those terms are defined at 25 U.S.C.§ 450b). See 42 CFR § 51a.3(a). Domestic faith-based and community-based organizations are also eligible to apply.

Maureen Perkins, MPH

(301)443-9163