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DCF Task Force to Focus on Sleeping Death Prevention

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Department of Children and Families
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

  The northeast regional office of the Florida Department of Children and Families has formed a child death prevention task force following the deaths of seven infants linked to unsafe sleeping practices, the Florida Times-Union reports. The task force will include hospitals, law enforcement, non-profits and social service agencies and will focus on preventing unsafe sleeping habits such as bed-sharing, placing items such as blankets and toys in a crib and putting the baby to sleep on his or her stomach. According to the Times-Union, statewide data from DCF shows about 20 percent of child deaths in 2014 were because of unsafe sleeping or sudden infant death syndrome/sudden unexpected infant deaths.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.