Saint Francis Hospital is proud to announce that it has successfully achieved the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification and designation as a Gold Infant Safe Sleep Hospital for its commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. Saint Francis is the second hospital in the state of Connecticut to earn Safe Sleep Certification.
“This certification is a result of the commitment across our organization to provide education and support to families who give birth at our hospital,” said Karianne Silverman, M.D., Interim Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Francis. “We are proud to of our dedication to best practices, education, use of safe sleep products, as well as our ongoing community outreach to support safe infant sleep.”
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, a national infant safe sleep organization. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Saint Francis 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. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Penn., Cribs for Kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) and accidental suffocation.
“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, numerous state American Academy of Pediatric chapters, and health departments.
About Saint Francis Hospital
Saint Francis Hospital has been an anchor institution in Connecticut since 1897. Saint Francis is a member of Trinity Health Of New England and Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Saint Francis Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, is a 617-bed hospital, a major teaching hospital, and the largest Catholic hospital in New England. Other Saint Francis entities include the Comprehensive Women’s Health Center, the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute of Connecticut, the Smilow Cancer Hospital Yale-New Haven at Saint Francis, Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group, and Community Health and Well Being, which includes the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity, the Joan C. Dauber Food Pantry, and the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SaintFrancisCT