Every Newborn Deserves a Safe Start

Marlee L. Hepler, BSPH, MHA, CPST
Adrienne R. Gallardo, BSW, MAOM, CPST-I
Ben Hoffman, M.D., CPST-I, FAAP

Our Infant Safety Program was developed in response to published research from 2014, which found that 95% of families had at least one form of car seat misuse. In 2016, an Injury Prevention Educator was hired to provide infant safety education on the postpartum unit. This initiative aimed to reduce misuse rates and introduce the importance of injury prevention before transitioning home from the hospital.

The Injury Prevention Health Educator position was created to provide comprehensive infant safety education, including car seat safety, safe sleep practices, and home safety, as well as to distribute essential safety items to families in need. The program currently includes three Injury Prevention Health Educators who serve patients in the well newborn units and NICUs at two hospitals, in addition to supporting community members. This program is funded through our hospital Foundation, private donations, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Buckle Up for Life, and the CPASS project. The Infant Safety Program offers interpretation services and car seat and safe sleep educational materials translated into 25 languages. Every family who receives inpatient services is given an infant safety gift, which includes a sleep sack swaddle, cabinet locks, outlet plug protectors, a reusable tote bag, and educational materials. For families who do not have a car seat, a safe sleep space, or necessary home safety products, the program can provide these resources along with hands-on education to ensure proper use. The team also conducts safe sleep audits on inpatient units to promote and reinforce safe sleep modeling during hospital stays. Community outreach efforts began through the Community Partnership Program for Safe Sleep (CPASS), a collaboration between our team and a community partner serving Black families. This program uses a train-the-trainer model to deliver culturally responsive education. Safe sleep recommendations from the AAP are shared by community partners, with support from our team, at community baby showers. Families who attend these events receive a portable crib or bassinet, along with a fitted sheet, Halo sleep sack and pacifier.

In 2025, 3,313 families were served on the main hospital birth unit, 464 families were served in the main hospital NICU, and 645 families were served at the second hospital's birth unit and NICU. This represents a 19% overall increase in the number of families served from 2024 to 2025. Additionally, 162 safe sleep kits were distributed in the community at outreach events. Our community outreach model extends services beyond our hospital system and reaches some families who deliver at other hospitals. In the Portland metro area, we are the only organization among 15 delivering hospitals providing this level of infant safety education and resources.

Unsafe sleep environments are the leading cause of preventable death, and motor vehicle crashes are the third leading cause, for infants under one year of age in the United States. Our Infant Safety Program provides hands-on education and resources to families in the Portland metro area, introducing injury prevention from the very beginning.

Objectives:

1. Describe the Infant Safety Program model and services
Attendees will understand how the program delivers education, resources, and support to families across hospital and community settings.

2. Apply train-the-trainer model when educating underserved populations
Attendees will learn how to apply the train-the-trainer model and why it can be beneficial to deliver culturally responsive education.

3. Building relationships with multidisciplinary departments and community partners
Attendees will learn the importance of building relationships with different disciplinaries in hospital settings and community partners to better serve the community.