St. Luke's Birthing Center Earns Recognition for Safe Sleep
Posted on Jul 11, 2016
By St. Luke's, Duluth, MN
St. Luke’s Birthing Center has been recognized by the National Safe
Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a Silver Safe Sleep Leader for
its commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. St.
Luke’s is the first hospital in Minnesota 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, St. Luke’s 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.
Lori Swanson, RN, nurse manager for St. Luke’s Birthing Center, is
proud of the work her team has done. “We believe it’s important
to model safe practices for parents while they are here and provide education
on safe sleep and SIDS prevention practices before they go home,”
says Swanson. “We use Halo Sleepsacks when babies are at St. Luke’s
and provide each mom with a Sleepsack to take home so they can continue
safe sleeping practices.” Sleepsacks are essentially wearable blankets,
replacing loose blankets in the crib that can cover a baby's face
and interfere with breathing. Parents are also provided with written education
to take home.
Following the AAP guidelines for infant safe sleep practices is part of
the Minnesota Hospital Association Roadmap to Perinatal Safety 2.0, in
which St. Luke’s is proud to participate. “This is a great
accomplishment among the Birthing Center staff at St. Luke’s, and
we are inspired because we know we are having a positive impact on infant
safety in our community,” says Swanson.
Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director of research
at Cribs for Kids®, says “Sleep-Related Death (SRD) results
in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S. 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-six 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.
For more information on the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital
Certification program visit http://www.cribsforkids.org/safesleephospitalcertification/.