Baby 1st Network

FYE 2023: Baby 1st Network (BFN) focuses on community outreach and education,promoting infant health and wellness and supporting state-wide efforts to reduce the rate of sleep-related infant death. Infant Safe Sleep Mini-Grant Programs were developed to increase educational initiatives in communities where there are disparities in sleep-related infant death. Throughout the year, BFN provided training to public health nurses, coroners, and the public. Administrative support to the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality was provided, which promoted authentic Community engagement to support those at most risk to experience the direct consequences of infant death and suboptimal birth outcomes, exchange of novel interventions and practices designed to improve birth outcomes in Ohio, and optimization of relevant data collection, analysis, and dissemination among stakeholder organizations. Also, in fiscal year 2023, Baby 1st Network (BFN) managed all aspects of planning and convening statewide quarterly meeting(s) for the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality activities, including, when applicable, securing virtual meeting platforms and in-person venues; managing calendars; maintaining membership database; developing agendas; confirming presenters; overseeing registration; the post-meeting follow-up, which includes updating OCPIMs webpage and producing the quarterly newsletter, it also includes administering the Fire Starter Capacity Building Grant Programs, developed to increase the capacity of small community-based organizations to promote educational initiatives in communities with disparities in sleep-related infant death.