Wednesday, November 10, 2021

NEW Training: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Investigation

The Colorado Child Fatality Prevention System is excited to introduce a NEW online Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Investigation Training.

This FREE, self-paced, 2.5-hour training is designed to provide the tools and best practices with which death scene investigators, coroners, medical examiners, and law enforcement officers can investigate and learn from each SUID death to improve the health and safety of families and children.

View the curriculum for the course outline, objectives, and available continuing education credits. 

Visit the course access instructions to register and get started.

Please email Sasha Mintz, sasha.mintz@state.co.us, with any questions and please share this opportunity with your investigative partners.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Webinar: Infant Mental Health

 


What Fatality Review Teams Need to Know About Infant Mental Health

Presented by the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 12:30-1:30 MTN


Infant Mental Health (IMH) is the study of mental health as it applies to infants, toddlers, and their families. The field investigates optimal social and emotional development of infants and their families in the first three years of life. This webinar will assist fatality review personnel to explore when a referral to an IMH provider is needed and what services an IMH provider can offer a family. CDR and FIMR personnel will be equipped to find solutions and resources for families following the death of a child, including the surviving children's emotional and social growth and development.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Teen Driver Safety Week Oct 17-23



From 2015-2019, 159 infants, children, and youth died in Colorado as a result of passenger vehicle crashes. Youth ages 15-17 had a significantly higher death rate than other age groups. Nationally, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for youth ages 15-18 years old. Learn more about motor vehicle deaths in Colorado in this data brief

Parents and caregivers provide crucial influence over the choices young drivers make. School staff, medical providers, and others in the community also play an important role in young driver safety. 

The Colorado Young Driver's Alliance (CYDA) is seeking injury prevention partners to help raise awareness about young driver safety and Colorado's Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) laws. Examples of GDL awareness activities could include hosting a table at a school event or sharing GDL and driver safety messages in a school newsletter or community-wide platform.

The Colorado GDL Toolkit is one important resource, created by the CYDA, and has resources for young drivers, families, and networks.  

Please contact CDPHE's Motor Vehicle Program Coordinator, Ashley Nicks, ashley.nicks@state.co.us, if you'd like to learn more about partnering with CYDA or to find out what's already planned in your community.

Additionally, the Children's Safety Network recently shared the following resources on young driver safety and crash prevention:

Teen Driving Safety: Recent Research and Implications for Prevention - Children's Safety Network Webinar

A New GDL Framework: Evidence Base to Integrate Novice Driver Strategies - National Safety Council

A New GDL Framework: Planning for the Future - National Safety Council

Keep Teen Drivers Safe - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Child First - New Home Visiting Program in CO

 

Colorado has a new home visiting program and you can help ensure that eligible families know about and are referred to this service. 

Child First is a program that seeks to support young children and their caregivers who are most impacted by systemic and structural inequities. Child First launched in Colorado in July of this year and they are currently looking to boost referrals in the following counties:

  • Adams, Alamosa, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Conejos, Costilla, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache
Additionally, Invest in Kids, one of the agencies implementing Child First, is seeking four additional counties to support launching Child First programs. 

You can help families access the Child First program by spreading the word in your personal and professional circles:

  1. Referrals are currently happening in the 13 counties listed above. For more information about referring families to Child First, please contact Amanda Fixsen, Director of Implementation, afixsen@iik.org.  
  2. If an agency in your county is interested in adopting Child First, please contact the following staff at Invest in Kids: Marisa Gullicksrud, Child First Program Director, mgullicksrud@iik.org or Amanda Fixsen, Director of Implementation, afixsen@iik.org. You can find an overview of the priorities and requirements to be an official Child First affiliate agency here (scroll to "Cohort 2" box at bottom of page).

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

New Forward Together Ads: Stories of Connection

Check out the new video ads for the Forward Together campaign, they are great! 

The Forward Together campaign launched in September 2020 and is positively impacting the lives of youth, parents, and trusted adults across Colorado. 

Everything is focused on one goal: to help young people feel more connected – to peers, parents, and other trusted adults. Research shows that youth who are connected are less likely to smoke, drink, vape, use marijuana, and have feelings of depression.


See the New Ads: Stories of Connection
Starting this month, new Forward Together ads roll out statewide! 

The new spots feature stories of real Colorado teens and parents that represent a diverse array of voices. These stories explain how they have built stronger connections.

Ads will reach less-connected audiences through streaming TV (like Hulu), Snapchat, Pandora, and out-of-home placements, like bus shelters and laundromat posters.

The campaign goals for FY22 are to deepen relationships by focusing on how, and using tactical tips and real stories.

Watch the new video ads here — and look for ads in your community this fall as well! 

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Student Leaders in Public Health - Financial Support

(Syd Stagg, 2020-21 SLPH Awardee)

The Student Leaders in Public Health (SLPH) program at the Rocky Mountain Public Health Training Center is currently accepting applications. SLPH recipients receive $3,500 in financial support to assist with public health field placements and faculty-student collaborative projects. 

The goal of the Student Leaders in Public Health program is to enhance the public health workforce in the Rocky Mountain region, specifically in rural and under served communities and populations, by supporting students conducting applied health projects and providing opportunities for mentoring and professional development.

The first SLPH application deadline is September 15, 2021, but there is a second deadline of December 15, 2021.

Please spread the word of this opportunity to any public health students you know!

Click here for more information and the online application. 

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

The National Center is Hiring!

 

The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention is hiring a third data analyst to join their team! This individual will work closely with the two existing senior data analysts. The primary job responsibilities are to provide data analysis support, training, and technical assistance to the National Fatality Review - Case Reporting System users. Additionally, this individual will help produce data infographics, written materials, and peer-reviewed publications.

This position can be full remote and is open to applicants throughout the US. 

Application deadline: September 19, 2021

View the job description and application here.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Overdose Awareness Day


Today, Aug 31, is International Overdose Awareness Day, a day to remember the people who have died, acknowledge the grief of their friends and family, and to continue advocating for an end to these preventable deaths.

Our nation is in the midst of an opioid overdose crisis and Colorado has not been spared. Many of these deaths are due to an increase in the drug supply of the synthetic opioid, fentanyl. Statewide, overdose deaths increased by 38% from 2019 to 2020, with Denver experiencing a 64% increase in fatal overdoses during this same time period. As many of our child fatality review team members and coordinators know too well, this health crisis is also taking the lives of so many Colorado children.

You can listen to an interview with Lisa Raville, the executive director of Denver's Harm Reduction Action Center, on today's episode of the City Cast Denver podcast (16 minutes). Lisa discusses the driving factors of the overdose crisis, the toll it's taking on people who use drugs and the people who love them, the deadly impact of stigma, and prevention measures that we can take to end these deaths. As Lisa says, "everyone is somebody's someone."

One piece of the prevention puzzle is education that is fact-based, non-stigmatizing, and informed by and co-created with young people. The Drug Policy Alliance has a free, harm reduction-based drug education curriculum for high school teachers called Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens

The Laced and Lethal campaign out of King County, WA is an example of a campaign to educate youth about the dangers of fentanyl and the importance of carrying naloxone to reverse overdoses and save lives.    

Thursday, August 26, 2021

Home Visiting Investment Plan



For the past year, the Home Visiting Investment Task Force at the Early Childhood Leadership Commission (ECLC) has been developing a strategy to expand, improve, and consistently fund a continuum of home visiting services across the state. The recommendations of the task force are now finalized in the following report: Home Visiting Investment Plan.

Home visiting programs are known to have a positive impact on children and families, including reducing child maltreatment, improving child and maternal health, promoting positive parenting practices, reducing sudden unexpected infant death, and increasing children’s school readiness. The Child Fatality Prevention System has consistently recommended expanded home visiting services that meet the cultural and linguistic needs of families as a strategy to prevent child deaths. 

The task force will continue to meet to help make these recommendations a reality. Read the report here: Home Visiting Investment Plan.


Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Webinar Series: Child Maltreatment & ACEs Prevention

Please see this learning opportunity from our friends at the Kempe Center and CO School of Public Health:

PATHWAYS TO PREVENTION
 Translating Child Maltreatment and ACEs Prevention Research into Practice
The Injury and Violence Prevention Center and Kempe Center are pleased to announce a new partnership that aims to connect prevention workers with the latest science on protecting children. 

This program provides free monthly webinars designed for those working in public health organizations, social services, child welfare, and the non-profit sector. These virtual learning experiences feature researchers working on various topics in the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect, as well as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Through these sessions, people working in prevention can learn more about the latest scientific research to apply in their work, while also helping to inform researchers about on-the-ground issues and priorities. This partnership continues the work of the Child Maltreatment National Peer Learning Team that launched in 2017 with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The webinars are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 10 Pacific/11 Mountain/12 Central/1 Eastern time. 

If you are interested in learning about future events, please view the website. Upcoming webinars in the series include:  
The Empower Action Model: A Framework for the Prevention of ACEs Through the Promotion of Equity, Resilience and Wellbeing 
Aditi Srivastav, PhD, MPH Professional Profile
Dana Powell, M.Ed. Professional Profile
Wednesday, September 15th: 11 AM (MDT)

The Empower Action Model offers a framework for preventing child maltreatment and promoting well-being for all individuals through the intentional building of protective factors. It is a process and a commitment to building health, well-being, and resilience for children and families in a way that is racially equitable, sustainable, and meaningful. 

Indigenous Connectedness for Child Wellbeing
Jessica Saniguq Ullrich,
Inupiaq, MSW, Ph.D. Professional Profile
Wednesday, October 20th: 11 AM (MDT)

During this session, Ullrich will describe her work to develop a conceptual framework that makes visible Indigenous child wellbeing. She states "I fulfill the following roles: Daughter of Cathie and Gordon (both deceased), Granddaughter of Nancy Felton (Senungetuk), Mother of Uiganna and Atqaq, Tribal member of Nome Eskimo Community, descendant of Native Village of Wales. Assistant Professor at University of Alaska Anchorage School of Social Work. Previous Alaska child welfare trainer, supervisor, ICWA specialist, and frontline social worker. Current researcher, educator, and storyteller. Healer of my own childhood trauma. Future ancestor. I love our sacred children."

Substance Use Among Pregnant & Parenting People: Research & Interventions to Promote Wellbeing
Anna Austin, Ph.D. Professional Profile
Wednesday, November 17th: 11 AM (MDT)

During this webinar, Austin will describe research on substance use among pregnant and parenting people, examples from programs in North Carolina, and implications for practice.

Her current research centers on the primary prevention of adverse childhood experiences, specifically child abuse and neglect; substance use among pregnant and parenting people; and population-level strategies, including those that address material hardships, to prevent injuries and violence and promote child and family wellbeing. She has experience and interest in applying advanced statistical methods, linking existing survey and administrative data sources, and partnering with state and local agencies to advance the maternal and child health research and practice agenda.

Building a Trauma-Informed Community: The San Antonio Experience
Colleen Bridger, MPH, Ph.D. Professional Profile
Wednesday, December 15th: 11 AM (MDT)

During this webinar, attendees will learn about how a large city used a systems approach to identifying and mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences. Colleen Bridger, MPH, Ph.D., formerly the Assistant City Manager and Interim Health Director for the city of San Antonio, will share the innovative work of the South Texas Trauma-Informed Care Consortium, including training and certification programs. Bridger, MPH, Ph.D., started her career in 1990 working with a Migrant Farmworker Clinic in Eastern North Carolina. The bulk of her work has been in local government, leading local health departments in NC and San Antonio.

Heed Neglect to Disrupt Child Maltreatment: Implications for Prevention
Lindsey Bullinger, Ph.D. Professional Profile
Kerri Raissian, Ph.D. Professional Profile
Wednesday, January 19th: 11 AM (MDT)

Raissian and Bullinger will discuss their research on policy approaches to prevent child maltreatment and the importance of addressing neglect in prevention efforts. Russian's research focuses on child and family policy with an emphasis on understanding how policies affect fertility, family formation, and family violence. Raissian’s research is interdisciplinary and draws on principles from program evaluation, economic demography, and applied microeconomics. Bullinger's research examines how public policies affect children and family's health and well-being, especially low-income families.

Racism, Racist Inequities and the Child Welfare System: Implications for Prevention
Alan J. Dettlaff, Ph.D. Professional Profile
Wednesday, February 16th: 11 AM (MDT)

Dettlaff’s work focuses on improving outcomes for children and youth in the child welfare system through examining the factors contributing to racial disparities and improving cultural responsiveness. His research and consultation with state child welfare systems have led to significant policy and practice improvements that have resulted in reductions in the overrepresentation of African American children in these systems. Dean Dettlaff has also conducted groundbreaking research to identify and understand the unique needs of immigrant Latino children and families involved in child welfare. This research resulted in the first national data on the presence of Latino children of immigrants in the child welfare system and their risk exposure.