Last updated:  April 2010

Jill Marano
Division of Child and Family Services
4180 Pecos Road   Suite 150
Las Vegas, Nevada 89121
Phone: 702-486-7712
Fax: 702-486-7626
Email:  jmarano@dcfs.nv.gov

Website:  http://www.dcfs.state.nv.us/DCFS_ChildFatalities.htm

Tools

• Nevada Child Death Review Legislation

Reports

• State of Nevada, Division of Child and Family Services, Children's Justice Task Force, The Child Death Review Subcommittee, A Report of Child Deaths for the Years 1999-2001
• 2007 Clark County Annual CDR Report

Mortality Statistics

• Nevada Child Mortality Data, 2002
• Nevada Child Mortality Data, 2003
• Nevada Child Mortality Data, 2005
• Nevada Child Mortality Data, 2006

Administration
The Nevada CDR program was established in 1993. The program is stand-alone with much of the work conducted by volunteers.   In 2003, a law was passed in Nevada that places a one dollar tax on death certificates.  The money will be used to fund child fatality review. This fee revenue source fluctuates annually, but provides approximately $150,000 per year.  Other program funding comes from the Children's Justice Act and CAPTA.

Teams
Nevada has both state and local teams. The Citizen’s Review Panel is included in Nevada’s CDR efforts. 

State Team:  
The team is comprised of eight members and meets quarterly. 

Local Teams:
There are five teams and they meet monthly. 

Reviews
Nevada CDR teams review deaths to children age 17 years and younger. 

Purpose
The purpose of the Nevada CDR Program is prevention and education. 

Data
Standardized data reporting forms are completed for all reviews. This is required by state legislation beginning January 2004. Nevada CDR has access to state vital statistics and uses it for demographic information. CDR data is stored in a private computerized database and is analyzed through statistics. 

Annual Report
Nevada does produce an annual report. The annual report features data from seven local teams. This report is distributed to all team members, child welfare agency staff, Judicial, Assemblymen and County Commissioners. 

Prevention Initiatives
CDR findings have influenced both policy changes and the direction for public awareness campaigns. Policy changes include revised Child Protective Services Intake policies changes in law and policy regarding placement of newborns. Public awareness campaigns include collaborations with various stakeholders in the community in the development and printing of over 100,000 brochures intended to educate parents of newborn infants and young children about safe sleeping environments. These safe sleeping brochures were distributed to 30 hospitals statewide for inclusion in new birth packets and distribution through labor and delivery units, nurses, and pediatricians. Additional brochures were ordered for continued distribution, with expansion of distribution to child welfare agencies and foster parents. Other initiatives include utilizing public service announcements (PSA) via local movie theaters and television stations as part of the safe sleeping campaign. This campaign resulted in approximately 2.4 million viewers during the time period aired. Due to recent deaths from gun shots wounds, there is also a billboard PSA campaign to raise awareness of the need for safe storage of firearms.

Protocols
Nevada CDR has a variety of protocols in place including CDR Meeting and confidentiality.

Training
The training is provided through the child death review fund and is scheduled at the request of the multidisciplinary teams.