National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program Recognizes BCH
Boone County Hospital was recently recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a Bronze Safe Sleep Hospital for their commitment to best practices and education on safe sleep.
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, the only national infant safe sleep organization. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Cribs for kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Boone County Hospital is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and providing training programs for healthcare team members, and family caregivers.
“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 modeling safe infant sleep in the hospital and providing education to families has a significant effect on infant mortality. Cribs for Kids Hospital Certification Program is designed to recognize those hospitals that are taking an active role in reducing these preventable deaths.”
“Bringing home a newborn is often overwhelming and can provoke a lot of anxiety,” said Dr. Rienera Sivesind, M.D., delivering and family medicine provider at Boone County Hospital. “We get a lot of questions from parents who are worried about SIDS and want to know what they can do to prevent it. I think they will be reassured by the extra education and steps that Boone County Hospital is taking to help keep their babies safe.”
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. We welcome Boone County Hospital in Boone, Iowa, to this expanding group of committed hospitals. This will have a profound effect on the saving babies’ lives.”
Pictured, left to right: Dena Sytsma, Christine VanderLeest, Kaci Mahannah, Laura Krieger