Who monitors local departments to ensure compliance with follow up for presumptive SIDS cases?
The Health and Safety Code specifies that “the State will monitor or contract with a person to monitor whether the health officer or his/her designated agent ( SIDS Coordinator/PHN/other trained professional) is performing the duties required within the established time frames.” The State Department of Health Services MCAH/OFP Branch contracts with the California SIDS Program to monitor compliance by health department professionals who provide support services as well as coroner offices. The Program checks to determine if coroner cases are referred to the local health department within 24 hours of the presumptive SIDS diagnosis and whether support services were received within three (3) working days of being notified of the infant’s death. The State DHS Epidemiology/Evaluation Unit has a similar system for monitoring the mandated autopsy and death scene protocols that are submitted to them by the local coroners.
