From Mary Washington Healthcare
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, a Pittsburgh-based organization dedicated to preventing infant, sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. In addition to being Cribs for Kids® partners, Mary Washington Hospital was recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and providing training programs for parents, staff and the community.
Promoting Safe Sleep concepts begins in Mary Washington Healthcare childbirth education classes. Those concepts are reinforced during a hospital stay with the birth of a child and upon discharge. All babies born at Mary Washington Hospital also receive a Halo Sleep Sack that promotes “Back is Best” safe sleep.
“Mary Washington Hospital is proud to be recognized as a leading hospital in the Safe Sleep effort of reducing infant sleep-related deaths. Sleep is essential for both the infant and parents. Our Women’s and Children’s nurses and staff are committed to providing the most up-to-date education and resources to new parents to ensure everyone can rest safely,” says Linda Koch, Corporate Director, Women’s Services.
“Sleep-Related Death (SRD) results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S.,” said Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids®. “We know that consistent education can have a profound effect on infant mortality, and this program is designed to encourage safe sleep education and to recognize those hospitals that are taking an active role in reducing these preventable deaths.”
