Reforms Will Improve Infant and Newborn Safety Throughout Illinois
NAPERVILLE - July 6, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to increase the safety of infant and newborn children throughout Illinois. Under House Bill 2099, child care workers who care for newborns and infants will be required to complete regular training on how to prevent sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
"It is important that those who work with our children possess the most up-to-date health and safety information," said Governor Quinn. "This legislation ensures that child care workers in Illinois will continue to provide the highest standard of care."House Bill 2099 requires all licensed child care facility employees who care for newborns and infants to complete training at least every three years on sudden unexpected infant death (SUID), sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and the safe sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The bill was an initiative of SIDS of Illinois, an organization of parents who have lost children due to SIDS or SUID and are committed to educating others about preventable infant death. SUID and SIDS are leading causes of death in infants under two years of age, and approximately 20 percent of SIDS deaths occur while the infant is in the care of a non-parental caregiver.
House Bill 2099 was sponsored by Representative Emily McAsey (D-Lockport) and Senator A.J. Wilhelmi (D-Joliet) and takes effect on Jan. 1, 2012.
In July 2010, Governor Quinn signed House Bill 5930, which requires birth hospitals to provide safe sleep information to parents as they leave the hospital. This legislation took effect at the beginning of 2011.
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