Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kaylyn Kendall Dines
(973) 972-7276
E-mail: dineskd@umdnj.edu

At UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
October is SIDS Awareness Month in New Jersey

Health care professionals at the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Center of New Jersey of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) are conducting educational activities throughout the month of October to help parents and child-care providers reduce the risk of infant mortality. SIDS is the number one cause of infant mortality in the United States for children who are between one month and one year of age.

The activities coincide with Governor James E. McGreevey's proclamation that October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month in New Jersey. The proclamation was presented to the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Center of New Jersey, a statewide initiative that is part of the Department of Pediatrics at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick. The program also has a site at the Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack.

SIDS is defined as the sudden unexpected death of a seemingly healthy infant and the cause is unknown.

"SIDS has a devastating impact on families. Our goal is to help parents and child-care providers learn about actions they can take to help reduce the risk," said Dr. Barbara Ostfeld, professor of pediatrics and program director of the SIDS Center of New Jersey at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Health professionals from the SIDS Center of New Jersey are conducting health education activities through both the medical school and Hackensack University Medical Center sites, focusing on a national campaign called Back to Sleep.

The Back to Sleep campaign, which is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, offers tips such as:

·Place an infant on his or her back at bedtime.

·Remove pillows, quilts and other soft bedding from the crib.

·Avoid exposing pregnant women or infants to tobacco smoke.

"Since the inception of the Back to Sleep campaign in 1992, the incidence of SIDS has been cut in half both statewide and nationally," said Dr. Thomas Hegyi, vice chair of pediatrics and medical director of the SIDS Center of New Jersey at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The SIDS Center of New Jersey, established in 1988, has provided services to more than 2,000 bereaved families throughout the state. Its mission is to provide culturally sensitive bereavement services, conduct research, and provide health education programs. Many of its materials have been distributed nationwide to child-care providers, schools, visiting home nurse organizations, first responders and physicians. The staff is currently adapting program curriculum and developing materials to be distributed to countries in Eastern Europe.

The SIDS Center of New Jersey is funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and several foundations, including the C.J. Foundation for SIDS, a national foundation based at Hackensack University Medical Center. For more information, call the SIDS Center of New Jersey at 800-545-7437.

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is one of eight schools of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which comprises the state's only three medical schools and dental school, as well as schools of public health, nursing, health related professions and graduate biomedical sciences.

As one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, with campuses in New Brunswick, Piscataway and Camden, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery and the promotion of community health for the residents of New Jersey. With 2,500 full-time and volunteer faculty, the medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students, as well as continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs.

The medical school encompasses 21 basic science and clinical departments and also integrates diverse clinical programs conducted at its 34 hospital affiliates and numerous ambulatory care sites in the region. UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School also hosts 85 centers and institutes, including The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.

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