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Elizabeth Montgomery

About Elizabeth Montgomery

Posts by Elizabeth Montgomery:

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Update On NISSA & INWSIDS

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“Good planning without good working is nothing.” ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

After looking at the strengths and challenges of each organization via multiple strategic planning sessions with my board of directors, a decision has been made. Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation will official dissolve on December 31, 2019 and all assets will be given to Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance. NISSA will serve as the mothership organization and house our two major programs “Healing Together” and “Safe Start Northwest” .

“Healing Together” is our emotional support program serving anyone affected by a pregnancy or infant loss no matter the cause of death.

“Safe Start Northwest” is our child safety program and includes the following:

“Safe Sleep for Northwest Babies” is our safe sleep education training and classes for medical professionals, parents, caregivers, childcare providers and anyone caring for an infant. This includes our crib and sleepsack partner distribution.

“Public Safety Initiative” includes our training for first responders such as fire, police and EMS and our ABC’s of Safe Sleep decal program.

“Sudden Infant Death Scene Investigation” includes trainings for coroners, medical examiners and police on how to perform a thorough investigation when an infant dies.

“North Idaho Child Passenger Safety Team” provides safety checks, car seats, agency training and parental education to the north ID community.

Combining efforts in a planned and strategic manner has already proven successful for the people we serve! I’m looking forward to a bright future of saving the lives of our children!

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Change Brings Opportunity

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As many of you know, I also serve as the Executive Director and am the founder of Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation. INWSIDS was founded in 2012 to serve the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane community with grief support and safe sleep education services. In fact, it was modeled after the work NISSA was doing in western Washington.

After reviewing the work NISSA and INWSIDS were doing and how both organizations were overlapping in many areas, both boards of directors put their heads together to see if a merge would be possible and if it even makes sense. After an intense review of the programs of each organization, funding sources and feasibility, we have an exciting announcement!

Northwest Infant Survival and SIDS Alliance and Inland Northwest SIDS Foundation have decided to merge and serve Idaho, Washington and Montana! Our programing will be continuing in each state with a clear plan for growth and development under my direction and the guidance of a single board of directors. Merging will allow us to be stronger with combined funding sources, more volunteers and the ability to serve the entire northwest. Being headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, will allow us to serve the areas with the highest SUID rates of both states…Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. I am very excited and am looking forward to the challenge of combining two very strong organizations into what will be the leading and most important child safety and bereavement support non-profit in the Northwest.

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A Word For Our New Executive Director

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I am excited and honored to join your organization as the new executive director. I want to thank everyone for your warm welcome. Also, I want to thank Aileen Carroll, Board President for her support and assistance in helping me transition into this position. Aileen has been serving as our volunteer Executive Director for the last two year. Following in Aileen’s shoes will not be easy, but with your input, participation and support, we can be assured that the NISSA has a bright future.

With her guidance and the support of our board of directors and staff, a strategic plan has been put into place and I have been charged with the duty to ensure its success.  NISSA will continue to partner with and provide cribs for our current partners and will be on the search for more partners on the western side of Washington.  We will also continue reaching out with hopes to connect to families who suffered the death of their child due to SIDS and other sleep related accidents. We plan to work tirelessly to bring training to our Washington State hospitals and encourage them to become certified via Cribs for Kids National Hospital Certification Program.  Certified hospitals are mandated to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep Guidelines, model safe sleep and educate each family on how to keep their baby safe during sleep. We need their help to begin to lower our infant deaths due to sleep related deaths throughout Washington. We also know home visiting agencies such as Nurse Family Partnership are very impactful when it comes to getting the safe sleep message into the community.  Our plan is to increase our home-visiting partners in our high-risk counties.  Most importantly, we pledge to be more active on our social media with posts about safe infant sleep, research updates and grief support.

Sudden Unexpected Infant Death kills more kids in the US than opioids, guns, and suicide combined. These deaths MUST stop, and it is our mission and duty to educated and bring awareness to the number one cause of infant death. I am honored to be chosen to lead NISSA in doing just this along with supporting families who have suffered the ultimate loss. Thank you for believing in our life-saving mission for the last 58 years!

Please do not hesitate to contact me as I would love to hear from you.

Liz Montgomery, Executive Director