The Grayson County Health Department (GCHD) is publicizing and looking for donations for its “Cribs for Kids” program.
GCHD Health Educator Jenny Cummings recently told Grayson County Fiscal Court that the program provides financially disadvantaged parents “safe sleep spaces for their little ones.”
The safe sleep survival kit costs approximately $100, Cumming said, and includes a pack-and-play, a sleep sack, a pacifier, and safe sleep education materials.
The program is intended to lower a baby’s risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). A factor in both SIDS and SUID deaths is baby’s sleeping in the same bed as adults.
“Kentucky has a higher than the national average as far as SUID cases … and when we look at trying to prevent SUID cases in our county, one of the big factors is that baby’s need their own safe sleep space,” Cummings stated. “So, (for) a lot of families it just kind of creates a hardship for them to be able to buy a safe sleep place. Whether that’s a crib or a pack-and-play.”
The money raised by the health department from community partners for “Cribs for Kids” is matched dollar-by-dollar by the state.
The health department, since the program was locally launched in June 2021, has provided “over 100 crib packages to families in this community,” Cummings said.
“I don’t think we’ve (Grayson Co.) had one SUID case since 2021,” she added. “I know that is not 100 percent because of what we were able to do (provide free safe sleep survival kits), but we know that that does help.”
Grayson County Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson told Cummings, “… We’re going to do the same thing we did in 2021,” which was donate $2,000 from the Grayson County Detention Center jail fund.
Sheriff Norman Chaffins said “Behind the Badge,” a law enforcement fundraising organization, would donate $1,000 to the cause, the same amount donated in 2021.
Chaffins noted a personal connection to the “Cribs for Kids” program, as he related performing CPR on a small child who had stopped breathing while sleeping with the parents.
“Early on in my tenure as sheriff, I performed CPR on a six-month-old child, unsuccessfully. When we got to the hospital the child passed away. We found out later that the child was sleeping with the parents in a bed. So, this is a program that is very special to me.”
To donate or learn more about the “Cribs for Kids” program, or to learn more about SIDS and SUIDS, contact the GCHD at 270-259-3141.
The GCHD is located at 124 East White Oak Street in Leitchfield.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
