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Babies die at high rate in MI, often of sleep-related causes

State health officials says infants in Michigan die at a higher rate than the national average. 

The state Department of Health and Human Services says there were 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in Michigan in 2015. The national average was 5.9 deaths per 1,000.

State officials says a large percentage of those deaths are due to infants sleeping in unsafe environments. A report released this month says 159 infants died of sleep-related causes in the state in 2015.

Morgan Springer is a contributing editor and producer at Interlochen Public Radio. She previously worked for the New England News Collaborative as the host/producer of NEXT, the weekly show which aired on six public radio station in the region.