The Pennsylvania Shaken Baby
Syndrome Prevention Program
“ S a v i n g B a b i e s ’ L i v e s O n e F a m i l y a t a Ti m e ”
Change is Imminent for Statewide Program
Volume 12, Issue 1
1st Quarter 2016
I am writing this article with a heavy heart. We have had the extraordinary good fortune in
working with all of you – nurse managers, educators and your staffs - our strong collaborators in
place at all Pennsylvania maternity hospitals, children’s hospitals, and birth centers You have been
the front line in our effort to eliminate Shaken Baby Syndrome. You have put in the time to
educate parents about infant crying, good parenting techniques, and the scourge of violent infant
shaking.
Since 2003, we have reached over 1.4 million families in Pennsylvania! Since 2007, you have
educated the parents of over 90% of Pennsylvania’s newborn babies. Just think about that - you
have educated the parents of 9 out of every 10 babies born in Pennsylvania about the normalcy
of infant crying, how they can calm their crying baby, how they can remain calm themselves when
their baby cries, how to positively parent, how to more wisely select other caregivers for their
baby when they can’t be present, and the dangers of violent infant shaking and Shaken Baby
Syndrome. You should be proud of the work you do every day! On behalf of our team, we
congratulate you on a job well done!!
The sad part is that we were told late last year that the funding for this program will be cut by
more than 50%, which will make it nearly impossible for us to continue to administer and oversee
this program at the level you have been accustomed to unless, we can obtain additional funding
between now and July 1, 2016. We haven’t given up – we are continuing to apply for grant money
which will allow us to continue this program with a somewhat different approach.
I have just put the finishing touches on a manuscript we will submit to medical journals later this
month. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we could not demonstrate any significant reduction
in the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome (Abusive Head Trauma) in Pennsylvania. More
depressing was the realization that, since the “Great Recession” of 2008, the incidence of Shaken
Baby Syndrome has risen significantly both in Pennsylvania and across the nation. There have
been at least two studies that have shown this in other regions, and we confirmed this in analyzing
the results from Pennsylvania and in five other states without a postnatal parent education
program.
This increase in Shaken Baby Syndrome makes it even more important to continue the good work
that you have undertaken. It is your hard work – one family at a time - that may make a difference
for a parent and their infant. Our research has shown that almost all parents retain the message you
provided, and 3 out of 4 recalled it at the time their baby was crying. Parents have told us that the
message you provided at the time of their baby’s birth allowed them to put the baby down and
walk away; they credit this education for preventing them from later violently shaking their baby.
Inside this issue:
How do these
changes affect your
hospital?
2
Reading Hospital
kudos
2
2015 AHT cases
3
2016 Ordering
Chart
3
History of the
program
4
Hospital Corner
4
Your 2015
SBS Program
Annual Report
is enclosed
in this
newsletter
I have no doubt that although we might not be able to demonstrate it mathematically; your efforts
have made a difference for individual families! Just like the starfish story we shared in our 4th
quarter 2015 newsletter…if we saved even one baby’s life all the effort was worth it!
(continued on page 2)
Welcome Spring!
Page 2
The Pennsylvania Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Program
Change is Imminent for Statewide Program (continued from page 1)
Although we may lose funding for this program, I know that you have all committed to its success, and I have every confidence that
you will continue to educate all parents of all babies about this problem. Don’t give up the fight!
As for us, we continue to work on ways to eliminate Shaken Baby Syndrome. We have developed a program of serial text messages,
incorporating positive parenting messages through a Strengthening Families approach, that parents would receive twice weekly for
the first six post-natal months. The program is “ready to go” with the appropriate funding. We are applying for grant funding and if
we are successful, we hope to begin this text messaging program soon in select hospitals throughout Pennsylvania.
There will always be moments of change. With you as partners, we have completed one leg of our journey, and are transitioning to
another. We hope to emerge with a stronger program in the future. On behalf of our three nurse coordinators and our entire team, I
again thank you for your dedication, diligence and commitment to this effort. Don’t stop – the babies and their families depend on
you!
Mark Dias, MD, FAANS, FAAP
Program Coordinator
You helped to change the future for little ones!
What Do These Changes
Mean for Your Hospital
Thank You Reading
Hospital Maternity Unit!
You may be wondering how the changes that Dr. Dias
discussed above affect your hospital. Since we do not have a
decision about our funding applications as of the date of this
newsletter printing, we can only provide you with
recommendations at this time.
We wish to thank the management team and staff of the
Reading Hospital Maternity Unit for their support and
assistance in enrolling new parents into our Children Youth &
Family Consortium pilot study to assess 95 positive parenting
text messages to be utilized in a future study. Parents of 20
infants born at Reading Hospital during January 2106 were
voluntarily enrolled into the program. They will complete a
parenting knowledge survey at the onset and completion of the
study when their infant is 3 weeks and 6 months old. They will
also evaluate the 95 text messages three times; when their
baby is 1 month, 3.5 months, and 6 months old. Their input
will provide valuable feedback in the development of the
future study if funding is obtained.
We respectfully request that every Pennsylvania children’s
and birthing hospital and birth center:

continue to submit your commitment statement data to
our office monthly until further notice

check your stock of supplies and contact our office to fill
any SBS supply deficit

review your hospital policy for SBS education and contact
our office for guidance, questions, or in-servicing

identify an SBS champion in your hospital to be
responsible for ensuring that the nurses in your
department are in compliance with PA 2002-176: The
Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Act
In June, we will notify all PA children’s hospitals and birthing
facilities of our plans for the program effective July 1, 2016.
We are hopeful that we will be able to continue to
support the wonderful work you all do daily
to protect little ones from harm!
Thank you!
A special thank you to Directors Joanna Horst, & Dr. Debra
Stavarski; Nurse Manager Kim Swenson; & the Unit
Facilitators for your ongoing support of this program!
“The cooperation and
support of the Reading
Hospital management
team and staff is deeply
appreciated!”
Volume 12, Issue 1
Page 3
2015 SBS Annual Report
AHT Cases Released for 2015
We wish to thank all Pennsylvania birthing centers, children’s
hospitals, & birth hospitals who faithfully sent us their commitment
statement data during 2015. The commitment statements that you
submit along with the OB delivery numbers or NICU discharges that
you report are entered into the Pennsylvania Shaken Baby Syndrome
Database. An End of Year Database Report is sent to all hospitals
annually.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: Child Line &
Abuse Registry released the statistics of infant abusive head trauma in
PA for 2015. To date there were 47 substantiated cases of infants with
head injuries which were confirmed to be the result of abuse
including Shaken Baby Syndrome. This compares to 58 cases
reported in 2014.
Each Nurse Manager will receive a report
specific to your hospital in this newsletter.
Of those 47 infants, 30 were boys (64%) and 17 were girls (36%),
ranging in age from 23 days to 33 months old. Thirty-three of the
perpetrators (70%) were listed as parents alone or parents with
paramour. In addition, 4 were paramours alone (9%), 1 babysitter
(2%), and 1 grandmother (2%), were all identified as perpetrators and
8 were unknown (17%). The abusive injuries included: skull
fractures, subdural hematomas, brain edema, and retinal hemorrhages.
Nine of these children died from their injuries!
Individual hospital and Pennsylvania Cumulative Reports are also
sent to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Please review your
report carefully and contact the SBS Nurse Coordinators if you find a
discrepancy. The data that you submit is vitally important in assessing
the effectiveness of SBS education in Pennsylvania.
As noted in the article on the opposite page, please continue to submit
your data to our office until you receive additional instructions in our
June 2016 newsletter. Thank you!
To report cases of suspected child abuse call:
Child Line 1-800-932-0313
2016 SBS PROGRAM SUPPLY ORDERING LIST
Pennsylvania Department of Health SBS Brochures
https://apps.ddap.pa.gov/clearinghouse/
Refer to instructions provided in the 3rd Quarter 2013 SBS Newsletter
SBS Parent Triplicate Version Commitment Statements
(100 forms per package/ 1,100 forms per case)
Order directly from North Delaware Printing: Steve at
[email protected]
American Academy of Pediatrics Crying Cards/Help Cards (100 per package)
Order directly from the PA Chapter of the AAP: Teresa Olsen at
[email protected] or call 866-823-7226
“A Life in Your Hands: Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome©”
Order triplicate version DVDs from the PA SBS Program Office:
717-531-7498
The PA SBS Prevention
Program will continue to
function as an ongoing source
of support for program
implementation, questions, and
coordination of supplies for
your hospital.
Please contact us at
717-531-7498 for assistance.
Please utilize this chart as an
easy reference throughout the
year.
Thank You!
The Pennsylvania Shaken Baby
Syndrome Prevention Program
Contact Us:
Penn State Hershey Medical Center/
Penn State Children’s Hospital
500 University Drive
PO Box 850/Mail Code G130
Hershey, PA 17033
Preventing Infant Abusive Head Trauma through Parent Education
Mark S. Dias, MD, FAANS, FAAP
([email protected])
Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics
Vice Chair of Clinical Neurosurgery
Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery
NY & PA SBS Program Founder
Phone: 717-531-8807 Fax: 717-531-3858
PA Nurse Coordinators:
Carroll Rottmund, BSN, RN, CMI 3
([email protected] )
Kelly Cappos, BSN, RN, CBIS
([email protected])
Phone: (717) 531-7498
Fax: (717) 531-0177
All PA SBS Newsletters can be found on
our website at:
http://www.pennstatehershey.org/web/
shakenbaby/home/aboutus
The Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention & Awareness Program was developed in 1998 in Upstate New
York by Dr. Mark Dias, Pediatric Neurosurgeon. Since the inception of the SBS program, Upstate New
York has reduced the incidence of infant abusive head injuries by 50%.
In 2002, the identical program was started as a pilot study in central Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Law
2002-176: The Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Act was passed. The program partnered with the
Pennsylvania Department of Health and by 2006 became the first state in the nation to provide consistent
hospital-based education in 100% of all birthing and children’s hospitals in Pennsylvania according to
the Dias Model. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided funding for
the program to develop, produce, and distribute an educational abusive head trauma video entitled, “A
Life in Your Hands: Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome©” which is now being utilized in all hospitals
statewide and on the Newborn Channel nationally. The Pennsylvania Shaken Baby Syndrome
Prevention Program, through a grant from the Children, Youth and Families Consortium (CYFC), is
currently vetting a technology initiative to provide parents with the option to receive positive parenting
messages by text until their child is 6 months old. In 2015, the Council on Brain Injury (CoBI) provided
the SBS program with funding to continue our prevention efforts statewide.
The Pennsylvania Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Program, through ongoing funding from the
Pennsylvania Department of Health, provides PSNA approved nursing in-services, supplies, and
guidance free of charge to all PA hospitals & birthing centers. Our goal is to ensure that every parent
of every child born in Pennsylvania receives education about shaken baby syndrome!
Pennsylvania Hospitals & Birth Centers Providing Abusive Head Trauma Education
Abington Memorial Hospital
ACMH Hospital
AHN Forbes Hospital
AHN Jefferson Hospital
AHN St Vincent Hospital
AHN West Penn Hospital
Birth Care & Family Health Svcs
Birth Center of Bryn Mawr
Bradford Regional Med Center
Butler Memorial Hospital
Carlisle Regional Med Center
CH Berwick Hospital Center
CH Moses Taylor Hospital
CH Wilkes-Barre General Hosp
Cole Memorial
Children’s Hospital: Philadelphia
Clarion Hospital
Conemaugh Memorial Med Center
CKHS Crozer Chester Med Center
CKHS Del Co Mem Hospital
Doylestown Health
Easton Hospital
Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
Einstein Medical Center Montgomery
Evangelical Community Hospital
Excela Westmoreland
Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital
Geisinger Lewistown Hospital
Geisinger Medical Center
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Med Ctr
Grand View Health
Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital
Hahnemann University Hospital
Hanover Hospital
Harrisburg Hospital
Heart of Lancaster Regional Med Ctr
Heritage Valley HS Beaver
Heritage Valley HS Sewickley
Holy Redeemer Hospital
Holy Spirit Hospital
Indiana Regional Medical Center
J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital
Jennersville Regional Hospital
Lebanon Valley Midwifery Birth Center
Lehigh Valley Hospital Allentown
Lehigh Valley Hospital Hazelton
Lock Haven Hospital
Main Line Bryn Mawr Hospital
Main Line Lankenau Medical Center
Main Line Paoli Hospital
Main Line Riddle Hospital
Meadville Medical Center
Memorial Hospital
Midwife Ctr for Birth & Women's Hlth
Millcreek Community Hospital
Mt. Nittany Medical Center
Nason Hospital
Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Elk
Penn Medicine Chester County Hosp
Penn Medicine HUP
Penn Medicine Lancaster Women/Babies
Penn Medicine Pennsylvania Hospital
Penn State Hlth Hershey Medical Ctr
Penn State Hlth St Joseph Medical Ctr
Phoenixville Hospital
Pocono Medical Center
Pottstown Memorial Medical Center
Punxsutawney Area Hospital
Reading Birth Center
Reading Hlth Reading Hospital
Sacred Heart Hospital
Schuylkill Med Center
Sharon Regional Health System Hosp
Somerset Hospital Health Center
St Christopher’s Hospital
St Clair Hospital
St Luke’s Hospital Allentown
St Luke’s U Hospital Bethlehem
St Mary Medical Center
Summit Hlth Chambersburg Hospital
Summit Hlth Waynesboro Hospital
Susq Hlth Soldiers/Sailors Mem Hosp
Susq Hlth Williamsport Hospital
Temple University Hospital
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Uniontown Hospital
UPMC Altoona
UPMC Bedford Memorial
UPMC Children’s Hosp Pittsburgh
UPMC Hamot
UPMC Horizon Shenango Valley
UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital
UPMC Mercy
UPMC Northwest
Valley Birth Place
Warren General Hospital
Washington Hospital
Wayne Memorial Hospital
WellSpan Ephrata Comm Hospital
WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital
WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital
Wellspan York Hospital
You’re never too
young to have a
sense of style!