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In the United States, about 4,000 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly per year. The causes of these Sudden and Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) are not immediately obvious and cannot be explained prior to a thorough case investigation. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the SUID Case Registry to improve state-based information on the circumstances of these deaths and how they were investigated. The SUID Case Registry builds upon the information collected by the National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Death program and their Case Reporting System. Currently, there are nine state grantees in the SUID Case Registry. Grantees use SUID Case Registry data to monitor trends in sleep-related infant deaths, modify public health practice and policy, evaluate medicolegal practices, and for program planning and evaluation. Most importantly, state grantees monitor risk factors associated with SUID, so that targeted prevention strategies and systems improvements can be developed and implemented. In this session, three state grantees will describe how SUID Case Registry data is used to address SUID prevention in their state. Minnesota used their data to inform, influence, and support changes in organizational practice and legislative policy surrounding licensed child care. Louisiana used their data to identify at-risk communities into which they introduced a SUID prevention program targeting emergency medical services (EMS) and fire fighters in those parishes. Finally, Wisconsin used their SUID Case Registry data to identify unsafe sleep practices and developed a hospital-based program to provide safe sleep education to new parents.

Session Objectives: Describe how CDC’s SUID Case Registry aims to enhance SUID surveillance Identify actions participants can implement to improve SUID investigations in their state List three SUID risk reduction strategies states implemented as a result of using their data in the SUID Case Registry

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)