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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RAISING AWARENESS REGARDING SUDDEN UNEXPECTED INFANT DEATHS
WHEREAS, each year in the United States, approximately 3,500 infants die suddenly and unexpectedly before their first birthday. These Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUIDs) take more lives than any other cause between the ages of 1 month and 12 months; and
WHEREAS, SUID is the term used to describe Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths. These deaths used to be called SIDS. The causes of unexpected infant deaths in Cook County are now more accurately described as either due to suffocation or undetermined. Almost all SUIDs happen during sleep, and these are commonly referred to as sleep-related infant deaths; and
WHEREAS, for the past two decades there has been little progress in preventing these deaths. However, beginning in 2019, SUIDs in Cook County were added to a national surveillance system to shed light on the circumstances of these deaths and provide information that could aid in prevention; and
WHEREAS, a recent report by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office in conjunction with RUSH University Medical Center analyzed data from 2020-2021 and identified that the rate of sleep-related deaths among Black infants was more than 14 times higher than that of white infants, and 2.5 times higher among Hispanic infants as compared to white infants; and
WHEREAS, though SUID may occur anytime between birth and 1 year, 82% infants died before the age of 6 months with a peak between 1 and 2 months. This peak is slightly younger than that of 2019; and
WHEREAS, though SUID occurs throughout Cook County, mapping cases from 2020-2021 reveal a clustering of SUID on the county’s West and South sides; and
WHEREAS, Prematurity compounded SUID risk for Black infants, such that 1 of every 182 preterm Black infants in Cook County died of SUID; and
WHEREAS, from 2020-2021 in Cook County, 96 more families lost their infants to sleep-related SUID. During this time, Cook County’s communities were overwhelmed with the impact and consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately affected the same communities in which SUIDs continued to occur; and
WHEREAS, placing infants on their back to sleep has been the cornerstone of preventing SIDS since 1994. Greater understanding of other hazards in an infant’s sleep environment have emerged over the past two decades - including sleeping with another person, sleeping with soft bedding, and sleeping on a sleep surface that is not a safety approved mattress. All of these situations have been found to be risks associated with SUID; and
WHEREAS, raising awareness regarding SUID disparities, uncovering and addressing factors driving maternal-infant health disparities, and collaborating with public health, healthcare, community-based organizations and families, can help bridge efforts to prevent SUID; and
WHEREAS, County and State organizations working on raising awareness regarding SUID and serve as resources on this fight include Everthrive Illinois, Family Connects Chicago, The Fetal Infant Mortality Review, HealthConnect One, Kids In Danger (KID), The Fussy Baby Network, Westside Healthy Start program at ACCESS, Illinois’ Home Visiting, SIDS of Illinois, Inc., and Illinois Safe Sleep Support.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby commit to continuing raising awareness regarding SUID and partnering with local and regional organizations to educate our communities on the risks associated with SUID.
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