ELKHART – Last October, the Elkhart County Health Department launched a new project geared at helping lower the infant mortality rate within the county. They began passing out boxes with custom-sized mattresses at hospitals and birthing centers to new parents.
Today, infant deaths in Elkhart County are the lowest they’ve been in years. Melanie Sizemore, Director of Healthy Beginnings, estimates that where there were an average of 22/1,000 deaths due to SIDs or co-sleeping in previous years; since October 2016, 2/1,000 has been the average.
The number may not be entirely related to the baby boxes program, though, Sizemore admits. Another campaign, Cribs for Kids, offers parents a pack-and-play if they don’t have a safe place for their baby to sleep; either is a viable option, but the baby boxes are meant only for newborns up to 3-5 months, depending on the baby’s size.
“We realize that putting your baby in a box is kind of an odd thought, but we hope people realize that it does save lives,” Sizemore said.
To date, they’ve given out just over 1,400 baby boxes countywide between Elkhart General Hospital, Goshen Health, Goshen Birthing Center and Blessed Beginnings Birthing Center in Nappanee.