The BJC Safe Sleep Collaborative has worked together to achieve the Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep Certification across the health care system, including the Gold designation for Alton Memorial Hospital.

ALTON – Alton Memorial Hospital was recently recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as “Gold Level” for its commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep.

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“The Cribs for Kids Hospital Certification Program is a way to show our commitment to safe sleep and SUID reduction,” said Renee Strowmatt, clinical educator for the Women’s Health and Childbirth Center. “Gold level is currently the highest level of certification. We obtained this certification by educating families and staff about safe sleep, modeling safe sleep in the hospital and providing all families with sleep sacks, providing families in need with safe places for their infants to sleep, and reaching out to the community about safe sleep through social media and other activities.”

The BJC Safe Sleep Collaborative has worked together to achieve the Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep Certification across the health care system.

“At Alton Memorial, our mission to improve the care of the communities we serve includes improving outcomes for families by providing them with evidence-based best practices,” Strowmatt said. “Our Baby-Friendly re-designation (announced in May) helps us meet these goals by promoting early bonding through skin-to-skin contact, encouraging breastfeeding, and ultimately providing education to help families meet their feeding goals, and allowing the new family to room-in together during their hospital stay. Now we’re excited to achieve this honor through the Cribs for Kids Hospital Certification program.”

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The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, a national infant safe sleep organization. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Cribs for Kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUIE) and accidental suffocation. As a nationally certified Safe Sleep hospital, AMH is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and providing training programs for health care 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.”

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.

The certification program launched in 2015 in Pittsburgh, home of the Cribs for Kids® national headquarters.

“Hundreds of hospitals across the U.S. are certified,” said Judith A. Bannon, executive director and founder for Cribs for Kids. “We welcome Alton Memorial Hospital to this expanding group of committed hospitals. This will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”

For more information on the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit https://cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification.

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