Alerts Sign-up
Cook County officials and health leaders marked the start of SIDS Awareness Month by releasing a five-year report on sleep-related infant deaths. The event brought together Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, the Medical Examiner’s Office, Rush University System for Health, and community members to highlight ongoing risks and prevention strategies.
The report is based on data collected since 2019 in the Cook County Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Case Registry, a collaboration between the Medical Examiner's Office and Rush. Over five years, 208 infants died from sleep-related causes in Cook County. To honor these children, 208 onesies were displayed at the event.
“On average, one infant in Cook County dies each week due to sudden unexpected infant death,” said President Preckwinkle. "We want the information in this report to arm parents and caregivers with knowledge about the dangers that can take the life of newborns and infants.”
Chief Medical Examiner Ponni Arunkumar explained that their study with Rush sought to better understand factors contributing to these deaths. “We see that small changes in an infant’s environment can mean the difference between life and death,” Dr. Arunkumar said. “Our hope is that by shining a spotlight on these deaths, we can prevent them.”
Analysis from the registry revealed most fatalities happened when infants slept in unsafe environments—99% involved risk factors such as bed-sharing or sleeping with soft items like blankets or pillows.
“Each one of these deaths is painful, a devastating loss to their loved ones,” said Kyran Quinlan, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics at Rush who established the registry. “Sleep-related deaths are by far the biggest threat to a baby once home from the hospital.”
Gina Lowell, MD, MPH, associate professor at Rush and principal investigator for the registry project noted: two-thirds of cases involved sharing a sleep surface with another person; nine out of ten had soft bedding present; most victims were under six months old; and over a quarter were premature.
The findings also showed significant racial disparities: Black infants died at rates 14 times higher than white infants; Hispanic infants’ rate was 2.3 times higher than white infants. While there was a slight decline in cases during 2022-2023 in Cook County, Dr. Lowell emphasized continued need for awareness efforts: “Much work remains to raise awareness of these tragedies and effectively promote safe infant sleep practices to prevent them.” She added: “The key to understanding safe sleep practices is to remember that preventing suffocation prevents these deaths... That means having nothing that could block the airway or compress the neck or chest when they are sleeping.”
Felicia Tillis-Clark coordinates Community Partnership Approaches for Safe Sleep (CPASS Chicago), launched by SUID Case Registry staff at Rush University Children’s Hospital in 2022. Her team works with local partners through events like baby showers and fairs to discuss barriers families face regarding safe sleep.
“I saw the pain families endure when an infant dies,” Tillis-Clark said about her previous role investigating such scenes for Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. “Talking about sleep-related infant deaths is hard, but if we can discuss it with compassion and without judgment, we can better understand what babies and families need.”
At Wednesday’s event Destiny Tyler spoke about losing her six-month-old son Kaiden while he slept: “You never think it will happen to you until it does... If sharing my experience can prevent even one family from going through this heartbreak then it’s worth every conversation... My goal is not to scare anyone but inform and educate because so many people simply don’t know—and knowledge really can make a difference.”
The full five-year report is available online at rush.edu/suid.
