The Idaho Legislature was the subject of richly deserved scorn when lawmakers refused to pass a bill calling for professional teams to review child deaths, though it would only cost each resident 3 cents a year. How could Idaho – the last holdout of the 50 states – not see the benefit of such a system when one of the best was across the border in Washington state?

Well, the Washington Legislature has reneged on its commitment in recent years, and a once-proud system is in decline. After establishing a child death review network in every health district in the state, lawmakers dropped the $500,000 annual funding from the 2003-05 budget. As a result, about a dozen of the original 30 teams have disbanded. The remaining ones have had to rely on local funding.

Reviews of unexpected deaths have yielded critical data that have led to public health campaigns about crib deaths and unsafe toys and to laws mandating bicycle helmets. Trends spotted in these reviews can prevent deaths.

But as often happens, a program is launched and the accolades pour in. Then, when the spotlight shifts, funding dries up. Child death reviews may have lost their initial political cachet, but they still yield life-saving results. The Legislature should restore the money.