NATIONAL SAFE SLEEP HOSPITAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM RECOGNIZES MHP MEDICAL CENTER
Major Health Partners (MHP) Is Now A Safe Sleep Leader
MHP Medical Center - Major Hospital was recently recognized by the
National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a “Silver Safe Sleep Leader,” for their commitment to best
practices and education on infant safe sleep. They are one of the first
hospitals in Indiana to receive the title.
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, MHP Medical Center - Major 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.
This includes MHP’s wearable blanket program where Halo® sleepsacks
have been gifted to all newborn patients for the last several years. Community
outreach conducted by MHP also includes offering safe sleep education
at the Bump 2 Baby & Beyond maternal-child health fair events.
The most recent data reports the infant mortality rate in Indiana is 7.5
per every 1,000 babies1 with the national average at a significantly lower 5.9 deaths per 1,000.2 “Implementing the safe sleep program at MHP is vital to the safety
of the infants in our community. We are educating and helping families
prevent an avoidable catastrophe,” says Michelle England, Registered
Nurse and MHP Maternity Care Clinical Supervisor. “It has been proven
that if hospitals model safe sleep practices while the infant is in the
hospital, then parents are more likely to continue these behaviors at
home. If our staff finds an infant in an environment that is not considered
safe sleep, then we immediately use this as a teachable moment. For example,
if we walk in to a room and find mommy sleeping in bed with her baby,
we wake the mother and tell her that we are moving infant to the open
crib for baby’s safety and provide education on why this is very
important,” states England.
“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.” This program is well-aligned
with the Maternal Child Health Bureau's vision of reducing infant
mortality through the promotion of infant sleep safety as outlined in
Infant Mortality CoIIN Initiative. Thirty-nine states have designated SIDS/SUID/SRD as their emphasis to
reduce infant mortality.
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created in partnership
with leading infant health and safety organizations such as All Baby &
Child, The National Center for the Review & Prevention of Child Deaths,
Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, Kids in Danger, Children’s
Safety Network, American SIDS Institute, Charlie’s Kids, CJ Foundation
for SIDS, and numerous state American Academy of Pediatric chapters and
health departments.
According to Judith A. Bannon, Executive Director and Founder for Cribs
for Kids®, “The program began in June of 2015 in Pittsburgh,
PA, home of the Cribs for Kids® national headquarters. Hundreds of
participating hospitals across the United States, including Quebec Canada,
have already achieved the ‘Gold Champion’ status, or are working
their way toward it. This will have a profound effect on the number of
babies’ lives that will be saved.”
For more information on the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital
Certification program visit
http://www.cribsforkids.org/safesleephospitalcertification, or call Tiffany Price, the Director of Hospital and Community Initiatives
@ 412-322-5680 ext.112.