Mercer Health’s Childbirth Center has recently been recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a “Gold Safe Sleep Hospital.” This designation comes after the hospital’s commitment to following best practices and educating their staff and patients on infant safe sleep.
The program, which is run by Cribs for Kids®, aims to reduce the number of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) caused by suffocation or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Cribs for Kids is a national infant safe sleep organization based in Pittsburgh, PA.
As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Mercer Health adheres to the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and provides training programs to healthcare team members and family caregivers at the highest available designation level.
Dr. Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., a neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids, explains that SRD (Sleep-Related Death) results in over 3,500 infant deaths each year in the US. He believes that modeling safe sleep in hospitals and providing education to families can significantly reduce these preventable deaths. The Cribs for Kids Hospital Certification Program recognizes hospitals like Mercer Health that are actively involved in reducing these preventable deaths.
Ashley Piper, RN, OB Clinical Coordinator for the Childbirth Center at Mercer Health expressed pride in their efforts to join the national movement to reduce infant mortality. She stated that they have always been promoters of safe sleep and that this certification is an important step towards providing parents and caregivers with evidence-based information on how to ensure their babies sleep safely from day one.
To learn more about the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit https://cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification/. To learn more about Mercer Health’s Childbirth Center services visit https://mercer-health.com/our-services/childbirth-center/.