ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Officials in Anderson County, including the county mayor and chief medical examiner, called a press conference on Wednesday to discuss a rise in the number of babies dying by suffocating in their sleep.
Anderson County is one of 23 counties that the Knox County Regional Forensic Center serves, providing autopsies. They say the county makes up less than 10% of the population but is responsible for more than 10% of the infant deaths from suffocation.
"For us, this was very alarming," said Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, Chief Medical Examiner for Knox County and Anderson County. "And that's why we are here."
The KCRFC said Anderson County has had four babies die from suffocation while they were sleeping in the first six months of 2023. This is twice as many as last year. Anderson County EMS said the deaths are preventable with proper practices, including the "ABC Method."
The method says babies should sleep, "Alone, on their Back, and in a Crib."
Officials say the primary cause of these deaths is co-sleeping, where parents sleep with their baby in their bed. The baby can suffocate on pillows, blankets, sheets or even from other people and pets.
Bobbi Jo Henderson, Anderson County's Director of Education for EMS, said they train first responders to recognize evidence showing families may not be practicing safe sleep. Responders can then teach the correct methods if the situation allows it.
"We can educate those people, 'That that's not the safest way,' and maybe give them something that they didn't already know," Henderson said.
Nathan Sweet, the Director of Anderson County EMS, said some of the main causes for infant deaths are a lack of education and generational habits and trends from older caretakers.
"There's a lot of things that grandparents used to do when they were kids, and when they were parents, that we don't do anymore," Sweet said. "So this is another thing. Let's let's make that switch. Let's not take that risk."
Henderson also said the county's EMS department is looking for partners to provide pack-and-plays to parents so babies have a safe place to sleep.
Tennessee also provides free materials to parents to try and address the issue.
"Little notes, boards, anything like that. Refrigerator boards are magnetic, for a babysitter, and it just reminds them," she said. "There are also tags for diaper bags to remind daycares or somebody that's keeping their child."