Community Responds to Spike in Unsafe Infant Sleep Deaths in Indiana

Healthier Moms and Babies joins community partners in raising concern following a recent Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) release highlighting an alarming increase in unsafe infant sleep-related deaths. Allen County ranks as the third highest in Indiana for sleep-related infant deaths, according to the IDOH 2023 Fatality Review and Prevention Report.

While Indiana’s overall infant mortality rate has trended downward, sleep-related deaths are rising. The state’s sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) rate reached 133.7 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, higher than both the 2019 Indiana rate (122.4) and the 2019 national rate (90.1) (CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, 2020).

Stark Disparities in Infant Deaths

The burden of SUID is not equally shared. In Indiana, non-Hispanic Black infants die from SUID at rates nearly four times higher than non-Hispanic White infants (350.5 vs. 90.2 deaths per 100,000 live births). Hispanic infants also face a higher risk, with a rate of 141.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. These disparities highlight the urgent need for targeted, community-driven approaches.

Barriers Rooted in Social Determinants of Health

Practicing safe sleep is not simply a matter of awareness. Families face barriers tied to social determinants of health—such as limited access to safe cribs, housing instability, generational practices, and lack of culturally competent care—that directly impact whether safe sleep guidelines are followed. Addressing these barriers is critical to lasting change.

What the Community Is Doing Together

Organizations across Allen County are working collectively to prevent these preventable tragedies:

• Every Birth Network (EBN), a consortium of more than 30 organizations, is collaborating with Cribs for Kids to launch a Safe Sleep Ambassador Program in 2026. Ambassadors will use motivational interviewing to understand barriers and deliver consistent, culturally sensitive messaging. Data collection will track education and behavior change.

• Healthier Moms and Babies embeds safe sleep education in every home visit— completing 9,000 home visits last year—and distributes pack and plays to families without a safe sleep environment.

• The St. Joe Community Health Foundation launched PrenatalPath.com, an online directory of quality, local, affordable resources for expectant and new parents. Since its launch, safe sleep resources have been among the top five most-viewed listings.

• Parkview Health’s community nursing teams offer a robust Safe Sleep and Crib Distribution Program that both educates and equips families with the supplies they need for a safe sleep environment in their homes.

• McMillen Health is developing a curriculum for eighth-grade students to introduce safe sleep practices early, recognizing that many teens babysit or care for younger siblings.

Consistent Messaging: The ABCs of Safe Sleep

To reduce confusion, community partners emphasize the importance of consistent messaging around the ABCs of safe sleep:

• Alone: Babies should always sleep alone, without pillows, blankets, or toys.

• Back: Babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep.

• Crib: Babies should always sleep in a safe crib, bassinet, or pack-n-play.

“Allen County has long ranked among the highest in Indiana for infant mortality, and unsafe sleep is one of the leading causes we can prevent,” said Paige Wilkins, CEO of Healthier Moms and Babies. “This is not the work of any one organization. It takes all of us—hospitals, nonprofits, schools, and families—sharing the same message, listening to parents, and addressing the root causes that make safe sleep difficult.”

“When infant mortality remains high and unchanged, it is not just a statistic—it is a silent indictment of our public health system's flaws in protecting our most vulnerable, and the urgency we owe to our community's most valuable resource,” said Dr. Tony GiaQuinta, MD FAAP, Chair, Allen County Child Fatality Committee.