BILL NUMBER:  S3867A

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
newborn health and safe sleep pilot program

 PURPOSE :

Establishes the Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Pilot Program designed
to reduce infant mortality rates across New York State.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section one adds a section 2508 to the Public Health Law, to direct
the Department of Health to establish a Newborn Health and Safe Sleep
Pilot Program, designed to reduce infant mortality rates across New
York State through the use of "baby boxes," or other products which
provide parents with a safe sleep place and encourage other safe
practices by offering newborn essentials.

Section two provides an immediate effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) is a term used to describe any
              

sudden and unexpected death, whether explained or unexplained, that
occurs during infancy. SUID can be attributed to suffocation,
asphyxia, entrapment, infection, ingestions, metabolic disease or
trauma. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
about 3,500 U.S. infants die from SUID each year. Many infant deaths
result from unsafe sleeping practices and although recommendations for
safe sleeping environments for babies have been issued, including
having a baby sleep on their back on a firm surface, many parents of
newborns still engage in high risk behaviors associated with SUID.
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development and the Academy of Pediatrics, the safest sleep
environment for babies is sleeping alone on a firm surface without
blankets, pillows, or loose bedding.

Through the Newborn Health and Safe Sleep Pilot Program, "baby boxes"
would be provided as a safe sleep option for newborns, and filled with
educational resources and other materials to curb the high-risk
behaviors engaged in by parents of newborns. While new cribs meeting
all federal standards are the safest sleeping alternative, not all
families can afford new cribs or are aware of the dangers of some
sleeping alternatives. For such families, the "baby box" provides a
safe alternative to help reduce rates of mortality from co-sleeping
and other risky sleeping behaviors. Not only do the boxes serve as a
safe sleeping environment for newborns but it also has the intangible
benefit of being a symbol of support for new parents in need as it
will also include essential baby care items.

Providing new parents with a baby box is based on a proven method
first implemented in Finland. In response to a high infant mortality
rate in the 1930's, the Finnish government began distributing these
baby boxes and the country's mortality rate has dropped steadily ever
since, with Finland now having one of the lowest infant mortality
rates in the world. In Finland, the baby box program was originally
used to support needy families and as a way to encourage expectant
mothers to attend antenatal clinics. The boxes generally included
onesies, pacifiers, diapers and educational materials.

The idea of the baby box has begun to spread worldwide and often the
contents of the box or the way it is distributed are designed to
address local problems. In South Africa for instance, the baby box is
a plastic box that can be used as a bath rather than a bed, as this
was viewed more useful for South African mothers. Moreover, several
South Asian non-profits have introduced a version of the baby box
containing items such as antiseptics, sterile razor blades and other
equipment to ensure a hygienic delivery, to address the fact that many
women have limited access to maternity care. In South Asia, the box
also contains a mosquito net to protect babies against malaria. A
pilot baby box project was also launched in London in collaboration
with the U.S. company, The Baby Box Company. A baby box project is
also underway in Australia and Canada and similar baby box pilot
programs have begun in the cities of San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas
as well as in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most recently, New Jersey
received a grant from the CDC which makes them the first state to
universally offer baby boxes to parents. In New York, the baby boxes
will be distributed to areas with high infant mortality rates or areas
with poor birth outcomes as a way to attempt to reduce infant
mortality as a result of unsafe sleeping practices.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

New bill.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.