THE SIDS CENTER OF NEW JERSEY

The SIDS Center of New Jersey (SCNJ) is a program of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Hackensack University Medical Center. It was established in 1988 through the SIDS Assistance Act.

The SCNJ mission is to:

1. Provide public health education to reduce the risk of SIDS
2. Offer emotional support to bereaved families
3. Participate in efforts to learn about possible causes of SIDS.

We work with parents, physicians, nurses, the child care community, hospitals, first responders, schools, social service agencies, health and education programs and state, federal and national organizations to reduce infant mortality and the racial and ethnic disparities associated with it.

The SCNJ supports the "Back to Sleep" Campaign whose sponsors include the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration. Since the SCNJ was established, the rate of SIDS in New Jersey has been cut in half.