Vida receives NIH award for project to reduce Shaken Baby Syndrome

Cambridge, MA (March 6, 2009) - Vida Health Communications, Inc. has received confirmation from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that they will be funding our first ever SBIR Fast Track application.

Building on preliminary work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and The Medical Foundation, Vida will produce and evaluate “All Babies Cry: Shaken Baby Syndrome Parent Education Toolkit”. This educational media package will be designed for parents of newborns. It includes a media part to be shown to parents in the hospital, and a DVD and booklet to take home, containing explicit demonstrations of strategies for soothing a crying infant and managing parental stress.

Abusive head trauma or Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is the most common cause of death from child abuse. Hospital-based, parent education programs targeting parents of newborns have been proven effective in significantly reducing the incidence of abusive head injuries.

Vida’s application to develop “All Babies Cry: Shaken Baby Syndrome Parent Education Toolkit” seems to have gotten the recipe correct – a compelling topic combined with a state mandate to educate all parents at birth about Shaken Baby Syndrome (SDS) seasoned by a partnership with the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health.