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Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare helps improve infant mortality rates

Social and economic factors that influence health

A supervisor from Wheaton Franciscan, St. Joseph Campus’ NICU explains to Milwaukee officials how the use of halo sleepers and Pack ‘N Plays provided to new moms in need are helping to curb the infant mortality rate in the city.

Infant mortality remains a major concern in Milwaukee. While the national average is 6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, Milwaukee’s rate is 9.8. For African Americans in Milwaukee, the rate is 14.1 per 1,000 live births. Although the new data for both citywide and African American populations showed reductions in infant mortality, there is still much work to be done.

Much of that work is being done at Wheaton Franciscan – St. Joseph Campus which sponsors the “Baby Safe Sleep” program. The program, which is funded entirely by the St. Joseph Foundation, addresses one of the key causes of infant mortality – unsafe sleep environments. Under the program, St. Joseph provides education to new parents about the importance of a dedicated sleep space for their baby. Free “Pack ‘N Play” playpens and Halo sleepers are also provided to babies born to low-income mothers at St. Joseph. The playpens create a safe, convenient sleep environment and the zip-up sleepers eliminate the need for additional blankets which sometimes create a breathing hazard and have been implicated in SIDS. So far, over 600 Pack ‘N Plays have been distributed.