Partnerships & Collaborations
Critical Program Function: To mobilize government, Federal, State and local partnerships between policy makers, health care providers, families, the public and others to address SIDS, infant death and perinatal death and improve support to families experiencing such losses.
SUID/SIDS program staff may:
- Initiate partnerships and collaborate with grassroots organizations, communitybased coalitions and others to organize health promotion activities, data collection, advocacy, linkage, provider education, standard setting, policy development or system enhancement.
- Form partnerships with Statewide professional organizations to set policies, provider education and standards of care.
- Collaborate with partners to share information and prepare needs assessments as the basis for developing educational and bereavement support plans.
- Support partners with in-kind staff, printing and postage, meeting space, equipment and other resources to support collaborative efforts.
No program has enough funding, expertise or resources to meet all the bereavement support or health education needs in their community. It is essential for program staff to develop strategic partnerships at the national, State and local levels to expand the reach of program activities, increase program credibility, foster information exchange and build trust between the program and the community served. Given the large number of potential nonprofit, State and local partners involved in maternal and child health, it is important to evaluate and select partnerships that best support your goals, further your efforts and are mutually-beneficial.
Some of the Federal governmental, national nonprofit, existing collaborative efforts and civic organizations partners actively involved with SIDS, infant death and maternal and child health are reviewed here.
