Baltimore Commissioner of Health Dr. Oxiris Barbot, The Family League of Baltimore and leaders of the B’more for Healthy Babies initiative to reduce infant mortality launched a new “SLEEP SAFE” campaign video to encourage fathers to implement safe sleep practices for their babies and to encourage fellow dads to do the same.
Governor Martin O’Malley joined Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary Joshua M. Sharfstein at the Anne Arundel Medical Center on August 8 to announce that the state’s infant mortality rate remains at a record low of 6.7 deaths per 1000 live births in 2011—the lowest rate ever recorded in Maryland for two years in a row.
The B’more for Healthy Babies campaign, an initiative of the Family League and the Baltimore City Health Department in partnership with JHU∙CCP, has been awarded $1 million by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to sustain the successful infant mortality reduction program.
Antoine Dow is not new to fatherhood, but the birth of his youngest son Nasir, now 8-months, brought some new challenges. “My son was a preemie,” states Dow. “He was in the hospital for a couple of months.”
The B’more for Healthy Babies project launched the “Just Hold Off” campaign to protect infants and pregnant women from dangerous second-hand smoke. The announcement of the new campaign was made on October 5, 2011 at the second-annual remembrance ceremony to honor all Baltimore City infants
CCP’s successful B’more for Healthy Babies SLEEP SAFE campaign recently launched a new phase of advertising. Designed to address fathers and to make the connection between exposure to cigarette smoke and infant death, the new ads feature a real Baltimore dad talking about his own experience. Dale (the dad in the ad) “took one for the team” (his family) and stopped smoking in his home.
On December 29th 2009, Charlie passed away while sleeping with his parents in their bed. He was one month old. “Knowing what I know now, Charlie would have slept in his crib that night instead of in our bed with us,” explains Charlie’s mother, Dearea
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