COOKEVILLE, TENN — Cookeville Regional Medical Center has achieved the certification of Bronze Safe Sleep Hospital through their commitment to reduce infant sleep-related deaths by establishing a hospital infant safe sleep policy.
Cribs for Kids®, a Pittsburgh-based organization dedicated to preventing infant, sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation, is a new national program designed to award hospitals for promoting infant safe
sleep practices. The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to leadership for best practices and education on infant sleep safety and
Cookeville Regional was recognized by them for their achievement.
“Sleep-related death results in the loss of over 3500 infants every year in the U.S., “comments Michael H. Goodstein, MD, FAAP, Neonatologist, Medical Director/Research, Cribs for Kids, Director of York County Cribs for Kids Program. “We know that consistent education can have a profound effect on infant mortality, and this program is designed to encourage safe sleep education and recognize those hospitals that are taking an active role in reducing these unnecessary deaths.”
The new National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program has three levels of participation — Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Certified Safe Sleep Leader, and Certified Safe Sleep Champion– and a hospital can achieve all levels by building upon their safe sleep efforts both inside and outside of the hospital.
The Birthing Center at Cookeville Regional has achieved the first level of the three by developing a hospital policy, training staff and educating parents.
“There are so many tragic events we have no control over. Here at The Birthing Center at Cookeville Regional we are committed to teaching our families how to help guard against the tragedy of SIDS by observing the ABC’s of safe sleep (Alone, on their Back, and in a Crib). Using these accepted principles of safe sleep practices for newborns, we have developed our program here at CRMC,” said Linda Clouse, R.N., interim director of the Birthing Center at Cookeville Regional. “The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program Accreditation is a result of hard work and dedication to policy development and implementation, on-going staff training and family education. It reflects our commitment to the community we serve.”
Judith A. Bannon, Executive Director/Founder of Cribs for Kids©, congratulates Cookeville Regional on this achievement.
“On behalf of Cribs for Kids© we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Cookeville Regional for attaining the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program Accreditation, Bronze Safe Sleep
Hospital. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed. You have demonstrated a commitment to community leadership for best practices and education on infant safe sleep through the development of a hospital policy, staff training, and parent education.”
For more information on the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Initiative visit www.cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification.