(August 10, 2021) Shelbyville, IN --- MHP Major Hospital was recently recognized as a “Gold Safe Sleep Champion” by Cribs for Kids® National Infant Safe Sleep Initiative. The Gold-level Certification is the highest level of national safe sleep certification and recognizes MHP’s commitment to reducing infant sleep-related deaths by:
- Promoting best safe sleep practices
- Educating the public on infant sleep safety
- Establishing infant-safe sleep policies at MHP
- Modeling infant-safe sleep for our patients
Every year in the United States, more than 3,500 infant deaths occur due to accidental suffocation, asphyxia, or undetermined causes during sleep. By achieving gold certification, MHP is demonstrating that it is committed to being a community leader and is pro-actively eliminating as many sleep-related deaths as possible.
“We know that modeling safe infant sleep in the hospital and providing education to families has a significant effect on infant mortality”, said Michelle England, RNC-OB, IBCLC, maternity care nurse at MHP. “We are pleased to partner with Cribs for Kids in this initiative and to be able to be a small part of the huge effort in Indiana to prevent the loss of these beautiful, little lives.”
In addition to making sure babies are in a safe environment within the hospital, MHP Maternity Care received a grant from the MHP Foundation to purchase portable cribs. These cribettes are being provided to families through the MHP Maternity Care Unit to help support mothers in crisis to provide a safe sleeping environment for their infants.
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 certification program launched in 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA, home of the Cribs for Kids® national headquarters. Hundreds of hospitals across the US are certified.
For more information on the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification program visit https://cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification/