WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital recently was recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a Bronze Safe Sleep Hospital for its commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. This is the hospital’s second consecutive five-year designation.
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, the only national infant safe sleep organization. Based in Pittsburgh, Cribs for Kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. As a nationally certified Safe Sleep Hospital, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and providing training programs for healthcare team members, and family caregivers.
Douglass Harrison, CEO of WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital, said, “WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and our partner WVU Medicine Children’s offers the most advanced pediatric care in the region. We are proud of our pediatricians as they work tirelessly to promote safe and healthy habits to all children and parents in our communities. This award is another validation of the commitment we have to serving children in our region.”
“We are also proud of our nurses who stay up to date on new evidence-based practices and model these practices with our families in order to keep them safe” Lynette Debertrand, nurse manager-Nursery, NICU and Pediatrics, said.
“Sleep-Related Death results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S.,” Dr. Michael H. Goodstein, neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids, said. “We know that modeling safe infant sleep in the hospital and providing education to families has a significant effect on infant mortality. The 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 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.
Judith A. Bannon, executive director and founder of Cribs for Kids, said, “We welcome WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital’s continued participation in this expanding group of hospitals committed to practicing safe sleep. This has a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”