State Delegate: New Law Will Help Ensure Safe Sleep for Infants

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Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe last week signed into law House Bill 1515, sponsored by state Del. David Bulova. the new law requires that hospitals and others providing maternity care give new parents information on safe sleep environments for newborns, accrding to a statement from Bulova’s office.

The legislation was a priority recommendation of the State Child Fatality Review Team. The team was established by the General Assembly to investigate fatalities involving children and to make recommendations for preventing fatalities.

According to a 2014 report by the Review Team: “In 2009, 119 infants less than one year of age died unexpectedly in a sleep environment in Virginia, approximately one infant every three days. After natural disease, sleep-related death is the leading cause of infant death in Virginia, a loss of life nearly 10 times the number of infants who died as a result of abusive head trauma and almost 30 times the number of infants who died in motor vehicle collisions.”

Further, “The Team concluded that 95 percent of these deaths were preventable. Nine out of ten, 90 percent, were related to an unsafe sleeping environment.”

House Bill 1515 was supported by the Medical Society of Virginia, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Council of Nurse Mid-Wives and INOVA Health Systems.

In his statement, Bulova said, “As the father of three wonderful children, I wish I had this information as a new parent leaving the hospital. One unnecessary death due to lack of information is too much. I am very grateful to the organizations that worked with me to get this bill passed, and to the governor for signing the legislation into law.”

The text of the bill can be found here.

The full report of the State Child Fatality Review Team can be found here.

Bulova, a Democrat, represents the 37th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, which includes the City of Fairfax and parts of Fairfax County. For more information, visit www.davidbulova.com.