Safe Sleep NC is a program of the UNC Collbarative for Maternal and Infant Health. Erin McClain, MA, MPH and Megan Canady, MSW, MSPH coordinate the program. The goal of Safe Sleep NC is to strengthen the adoption of infant safe sleep practices that reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and that prevent infant sleep-related deaths such as accidental infant asphyxiation and suffocation across the state.
Since 2016, we have received funding through the NCDHHS Division of Public Health. In 2018, we received a financial gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to expand our efforts to promote safe sleep across the state, including the creation of this website.
Our efforts are guided by the North Carolina Safe Sleep Advisory Committee that meets quarterly. The dedicated members of this committee represent a wide range of agencies, including the North Women’s Health Branch, NC Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center, Child Fatality Prevention Teams, Pregnancy Care Management, Children and Youth Branch, State Center for Health Statistics, Department of Social Services, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute, Atrium Health, Injury Center, Safe Child NC, Welcome Baby, Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), Wake County Human Services, and Care Coordination for Children (CC4C).
For more information about Safe Sleep NC, contact Megan Canady megancanady@med.unc.edu
