Safe Cribs-Safe Home Project of Wright County

Do you or someone you know need a safe crib for your new baby?  Recently the Wright County Health Department wrote for and was awarded a grant in the amount of $31,927.  In July the Health Department implemented the second year of the Safe Cribs-Safe Home Project of Wright County with funds received from the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), Missouri’s Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention.  The goal of this innovative project is, quite simply, to reduce child abuse, save infant lives and support families.

The project has two main objectives:  To provide 110 safe crib sets which include the crib, mattress, mattress cover and 2 sheets to at risk families and to educate parents, grandparents, caretakers, friends and family about the safe sleep practices, back to sleep and shaken baby syndrome through educational material and oral discussion during office and in home visits.  One of the main outcomes of this project is that 100% of the infants referred into the program will have a safe crib environment to sleep in and the caretakers of that infant will have an increased knowledge regarding safe sleep practices and shaken baby syndrome.

Wright County Health Department, in cooperation with the Children’s Trust Fund grant, plan to provide 110 new cribs, crib mattresses, mattress pads and sheet sets to families in need along with critical parent education about safe sleep arrangements for infants.    Eligibility is based on the family’s financial need and risk assessment. 

The Health Department would like to thank our local Wal-Mart and their staff for helping with this project.  The crib sets utilized in this project will be purchased from Wal-Mart in Mtn. Grove.  Wal-Mart has also agreed to keep a supply of these sets readily available for the families participating in the project.    

Community health nurses working with mothers and infants find that including safe crib/safe sleep services is critical to infant health and safety and facilitates access to other services for the family.  If you would like more information about this project please call the Wright County Health Department Hartville office @ 417-741-7791 ext 5 or Mtn. Grove office @ 417-926-0009 ext 7.

If you would like to support this project please visit www.ctf4kids.org/ctf_plates_topnav.html or call 1-888-826-KIDS (5437) to learn about the CTF License Plate Program.