Lead Organization

Partner Organizations

The New York State Center for Sudden Infant Death/ New York Satellite Office

Medical and Health research Association of NYC

Summary of Outreach

The need to develop an alternative approach in disseminating the Back to Sleep message to African American families was apparent within this location. After reviewing the demographic factors and possible reasons for the disparity, they focused on the role of the grandparents influence on maternal infant care practices and the impacting that it has on the choice of infant sleep position in African American families. Because they were already offering risk reduction education in hospital and child health stations, they explored venues outside the health care system where they would come in direct contact with African American grandparents in their communities. They thought about the importance of the church and its centrality in African American communities. From this the idea was born: Offer risk reduction workshops to grandparents at churches.

Program Design

Identifying communities:

Targeted areas in NYC with highest infant mortality rates.

Locating churches and contacting ministers:

- Finding churches via telephone directory

- Letters of introduction sent to churches

- Follow up calls to ministers and church personnel

- Meetings with ministers

- 4 professionals with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds were chosen.

- They participated in two intense training sessions to prepare then in their roles as workshop leaders and conducted practice sessions.

Small groups held at the churches, some following the Sunday service or scheduled as an evening event

Participated in church health fairs, where Back to Sleep flyers were distributed and video was shown on a portable VCR.

Target Population

African American Grandparents

Resources

Relevant Literature

- Small program

- Limited funds

- Small staff

 

Submitted proposal to CJ foundation and received a grant which allowed them to hire consultants to conduct risk reduction workshops.

Risk Reduction Link

March of Dimes state statistics link

Article Link

NCCC link

Budget

Grant from C.J. Foundation

Grant amount:

Outcomes and Evaluation

TBD

Additional Information

Be Realistic, Flexible, Responsive and Persevere!

Working in collaborative partnerships with community institutions and leaders in a city as large ad diverse as NYC, is necessary in reaching out to vulnerable populations. This is how information is brought to a personal level and that is the level where people are reached.