State
Rep. Lawrence Curry
D-Montgomery/Phila.
www.pahouse.com/Curry
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Harrisburg: (717) 783-1079
Jenkintown: (215) 572-5210
Email: lcurry@pahouse.net
State Health and Human Services Committee Holds
Public Hearing on Rep. Curry’s H.B. 47
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Legislation would establish statewide program
to reduce sudden infant deaths
JENKINTOWN, Mar. 24 – Legislation introduced by State Rep. Lawrence Curry, D-Montgomery/Phila., to help prevent incidents of sudden infant death syndrome and sudden unexpected death of infants was the focus of a public hearing by the House Health and Human Services Committee in Harrisburg on March 12.
SIDS accounts for nearly 3,000 deaths annually in the U.S., including approximately 100 each year in Pennsylvania.
House Bill 47 would establish an education and public awareness program overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to inform parents about risk factors associated with SIDS and SUDI, as well as safe sleeping practices for newborns and infants.
"Sudden, unexpected death of newborn babies ranks as the third most common cause of death among newborns and is only exceeded in the first year of life by congenital malformations and prematurity," Curry said. "By educating new parents about the risks of SIDS and SUDI we can dramatically reduce the number of sudden infant deaths in Pennsylvania."
Among those testifying at the hearing were pediatricians, social workers and experts representing a diversity of organizations, including SIDS of Pa. and county health departments.
In addition, Lisa West, a mother from Canton, OH, told the committee her heartrending story of how she lost her infant son. Dayton Lee West-Mullen was just over four months old when he died on Oct. 27, 2002 as a result of West accidentally falling asleep and suffocating him during a middle-of-the-night feeding.
"I hope by coming forward and talking about the loss of my son to accidental suffocation, it will convince the legislators in Pennsylvania to pass this vital bill that will save babies' lives," West said.
"Unfortunately, Ms. West’s story is an all-too-real example of how young or inexperienced parents can unintentionally put their babies at-risk," Curry said. "The purpose of this legislation is to reduce the incidence of these terrible tragedies through a concerted program of public awareness and education for parents."
Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between two and four months old, with 90 percent occurring before six months of age.
"It is a tragedy that cuts across all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic groups, although statistics show that African-American and Native-American babies are more likely to be at-risk," Curry added.
Some of the most common risk factors for sudden infant death include unsafe infant sleep position, exposure to smoke, overheating, inappropriate infant bedding and bed sharing with parents.
"While there is still no known way to prevent sudden infant death, we can help to minimize the known risks associated with it," Curry said. "And educating parents about those risk factors is a crucial first step."
After the American Academy of Pediatrics launched a national Back to Sleep campaign in 1994 that endorsed and promoted the placement of infants on their backs for sleeping and napping, the incidence of sudden infant death in the United States fell by more than half.
In 2005 the academy issued a new recommendation to further reduce the risk of SIDS that defined and promoted the use of a safe sleeping environment for infants, which includes placing the infant on his or her back on a firm mattress, removing bulky blankets and comforters from the crib, and never letting the infant share a bed.
"We have been working for 10 years to put babies in safe sleep environments," said Judy Bannon, executive director of SIDS of Pa. and Cribs for Kids. "The passage of this bill would enable us to give every parent in Pennsylvania the gift of education and help reduce infant mortality rates."
Curry also singled out the efforts of Dr. Eileen Tyrala, a Jenkintown pediatrician who he said "has worked tirelessly" to educate her own patients and to spread the word about the importance of a safe sleeping environment for infants.
House Bill 47 has 50 bipartisan co-sponsors and is currently being considered in the House Health and Human Services Committee.
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CONTACT: Lauren Rooney |