The Arizona Child Fatality Review Program was established in 1993. Its mission is to reduce preventable child fatalities by reviewing child deaths and making data-driven recommendations for community-based prevention, education, legislation, and public policy. The State Child Fatality Review (CFR) Team has a statutorily defined membership and is responsible for statewide data collection, analysis, and reporting of data on child fatalities. As of June 1999, there were also local CFR teams in 13 of 15 counties, accounting for over 99% of the youth population in the state. Teams follow standard protocols in reviewing child deaths and make a determination of preventability. A child death is considered preventable if an individual or the community could reasonably have done something that would have changed the circumstances that led to the death. The most important lesson learned from the teams’ reviews is that hundreds of child deaths each year can be prevented and that every Arizonan can play a role in reducing child fatalities. In 1998 for example, 32% of child deaths (48% when neonates were excluded) were determined to be preventable. Policy areas in which the CFR process has had an impact include legislation on graduated driver’s licenses and pick up truck passengers, changes in pool fencing ordinances, and increased awareness on SIDS, guns and kids, seat belts and alcohol/drugs. Ongoing challenges include timely receipt of records, comprehensive death scene investigations, inaccurate or incomplete death certificates, sustained funding, confidentiality issues, and political realities. See http:/www.hs.state.az.us/cfhs/azcf/index.htm
Learning Objectives: Participants in this session will be able to: 1) Describe the mission of the Arizonia Child Fatality Review Program; 2) Identify the public health components of the program; 3) Understand the concept of preventability; and 4) Identify two accomplishments and challenges of the program.
Keywords: Children, Injury Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.