Kids In Danger has worked since our founding to improve children’s product safety.  Much of the focus has been on sleep environments – the one place babies are left unattended and the subject of a multitude of recalls for dangerous products.  With the passage of CPSIA and the recent enactment of tough new standards for cribs, we are seeing amazing progress.

As we work on creating safe sleep environments that parents can trust will keep their babies safe, we have encountered and worked side by side with other safe sleep advocates.  The courage and dedication of these professionals, many of whom have lost children themselves to SIDS or other infant death, has been amazing.  We are so pleased now to join together to create CAUSE – the Coalition Against Unsafe Sleep Environments.  We invite you to join us.  Here is the recent letter to announce the formation of this coalition:

These are exciting times for those of us dedicated to keeping babies safe in the sleep environment and preventing deaths from SIDS, asphyxia and other causes.

Later this year the Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education, and Awareness Act by Senator Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Pallone (D-NJ6) will be re-introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. If signed into law, this act will provide an array of opportunities for improving Sudden Unexpected Infant Death investigations, data collection, services and prevention. One major component of the legislation is the development and implementation of a national safe infant sleep campaign, to be coordinated through the Health Resources and Services Administration.

In anticipation of this legislation and in the spirit of collaboration we are creating the Coalition Against Unsafe Sleep Environments (CAUSE). We believe the time is right to forge a partnership of the private, non-profit, consumer and government sectors working on the issue of infant safe sleep. This coalition will capitalize on the broad array of knowledge and experience we all bring from the injury prevention, SIDS, child welfare and maternal and child health arenas. Together we can create a simple yet powerful campaign that creates safer sleep environments and warns parents against unsafe sleep environments.

Here is a description of CAUSE – what we believe and what we want to accomplish. We hope that hundreds of local, state and national organizations will add their name to this important coalition. If you are interested in joining as a founding member, please send an email to Judy Rainey. We will gather responses and convene an initial conference call in the next few weeks.

Judy Rainey, Director of National and Legislative Affairs at Cribs for Kids, has offered to coordinate the early organizing activities. We want to emphasize, however, that we see this evolving as a collaborative effort from coalition partners. We are currently exploring avenues for funding to support the coalition operations.

We believe that our voice is stronger if we speak together than if we speak as individual organizations.  Together we can help educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of unsafe sleep environments.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Judy Bannon, Executive Director
Judy Rainey, Director of National and Legislative Affairs
Cribs for Kids

Meri-K Appy, President
Safe Kids USA

Nancy A. Cowles, Executive Director
Kids In Danger

Deborah Robinson
SUID Death Investigator