LACOMBE, La. (AP) — The coroner in southeastern St. Tammany Parish Monday announced a new program designed to prevent infant deaths.
The program comes after seven infants died last year in the parish including five whose deaths were attributed to unsafe sleeping conditions, WDSU reported Monday.
The coroner's office will offer a 90-minute training to parents, grandparents, caregivers and first responders. Parents who take the training are given a free bassinet. The bassinets were paid for by private donations.
The parish's coroner, Charles A. Preston, told the station that many parents haven't been given guidance on the best practices for safe sleeping conditions for their infants. Specifically he said parents should follow guidelines recommending infants sleep alone, on their backs and in a crib.
“Five sleep-related deaths may not seem like a lot, until it’s your child or a child you care about,” Preston told the station. “Most such deaths are easily prevented with proper sleeping situations and cribs, and we’re here to help. Our agency doesn’t just respond to deaths; we try to prevent deaths, too.”
