Join us as we shine a spotlight on the Colorado Infant Safe Sleep Partnership (ISSP), a group that is working to ensure that all families, providers, organizations, and policymakers have the knowledge, resources, and support for infant safe sleep practices…

Collaboration is Key in Ensuring All Infants Sleep Safely
October is Safe Sleep Awareness Month! Join us as we shine a spotlight on the Colorado Infant Safe Sleep Partnership (ISSP), a group that is working to ensure that all families, providers, organizations, and policymakers have the knowledge, resources, and support for infant safe sleep practices.
What does safe sleep look like?

The ISSP meets bimonthly to discuss how to best support families, providers, organizations, and policymakers to increase infant safe sleep practices and address related barriers and disparities through education, practice change, and systems improvement.
Thanks to funding from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Illuminate Colorado is able to support the work of the ISSP. Members include public health and human services professionals, health care providers, and community organization and nonprofit representatives.
The ISSP focuses on three priority areas:
Education – Develop culturally-responsive public awareness and educational campaigns collaboratively with families and community-based organizations.
Practice Change – Design and implement Quality Improvement initiatives based in hospitals and provider education opportunities simultaneously.
Systems Improvement – Work in constant partnership with community organizations to address systemic issues that may impact safe sleep practices.
A Peek Inside an ISSP Meeting
At each meeting, the ISSP receives at least one presentation from a safe sleep-related subject matter expert. For example, in September, the ISSP learned about the different efforts being made to improve consistency in safe sleep education provided to families in Colorado hospitals. When all families receive clear and supportive messaging around safe sleep practices before they leave the hospital, they are equipped with the tools they need to ensure their baby sleeps safely.
Interested in presenting at an ISSP meeting?
Contact Mary Houlihan at mhoulihan@illuminatecolorado.org

ISSP meetings are a place for collaboration, open to anyone who is looking to share or learn about safe sleep practices and how we can best educate families, change hospital practices, and transform systems. Offices such as the Colorado Department of Human Services often join ISSP meetings to share the safe sleep programming they are working on, and ask for feedback and insight from ISSP members.
Ensuring that our youngest Coloradans sleep safely is a complex task that requires input and collaboration from a variety of groups, and the ISSP provides a space where that work can flourish.
Looking Ahead
The ISSP is gearing up to identify new strategies that will advance their three priority areas.
Want to be part of the process?
Stay up to date on everything Safe Sleep this October!

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