COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio health officials are partnering with a hospital association to focus on infant mortality and promote safe-sleeping habits.
According to the state's Department of Health, Ohio's infant mortality rate was just under 8 per 1,000 live births in 2011. That's higher than the nation's rate of about 6. Ohio trails almost all other states.
The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/UOo1Lt ) that state health department and the Ohio Hospital Association recently announced that 25,000 copies of a book on safe sleep will be given out to new parents at Ohio hospitals and 85,000 educational kits will be distributed across the state.
Health officials are urging parents to place babies alone on their backs in an empty crib when they put them to sleep.
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com