October is Infant Safe Sleep Awareness/SIDS Prevention month. York Hospital would like to call attention to and acknowledge the critical importance of educating parents and caregivers of infants about safe sleep awareness in order to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Sudden infant death is a term used to describe the sudden and unexpected death of a baby less than one year old in which the cause was not obvious before investigation. About 3,600 babies in the United States die from SIDS each year. These deaths often happen during sleep or in the baby’s sleep area. Education is key for the prevention of SIDS. To learn what parents and caregivers can do to help babies sleep safely, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/sids/Parents-Caregivers.htm#safe.
Before the month closes, we would also like to take the opportunity to recognize the York Hospital Birthing and Family Care teams for their hard work and commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our moms and newborns. These impressive efforts have resulted in two specific achievement awards this year.
Bronze Level Certified Safe Sleep Hospital
Earlier in 2020, the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification program recognized York Hospital for its commitment to infant safe sleep by modeling and teaching infant safe sleep best practices in the goal to reduce SIDS/SUID. To achieve bronze certification, hospitals must:
Develop a safe sleep policy statement incorporating the AAP’s Infant Safe Sleep guidelines;
Train staff on safe sleep guidelines, the hospital’s safe sleep policy and the importance of
modeling safe sleep for parents;
Educate parents on the importance of safe sleep practices; and implement these practices
in the hospital setting.
For example, there is a simple formula called the ABCs of infant sleep safety that all parents should know:
A) Alone. Babies should always sleep alone, in their crib, with no toys, no extra blankets, no bumper pads.
B) “Back to Sleep” is the catchphrase, meaning sleeping babies should always be on their back, never their tummy or their side.
C) Cribs. Babies should sleep in a proper crib or bassinet. For more information about National Safe Sleep Hospital certification, please visit: https://cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification/
Best Maternity Care Hospital
This summer, York Hospital was honored in Becker’s Hospital Review as a Newsweek Best Maternity Hospital. The annual list included 231 hospitals across 36 states and only 14 hospitals in New England achieved this distinction. Newsweek partners with The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit that monitors the quality and safety of health care, to develop its “Best Health Care” series annually.
Best Maternity Care Hospitals are hospitals that meet Leapfrog’s tough standards for excellence in maternity care: hospitals that have low rates of C-section, episiotomy, and early elective deliveries, and follow important protocols to protect moms and babies. Though these are standards align with medical research and best practices, not all hospitals achieve them. Newsweek’s Best Maternity Care Hospitals are an elite group of hospitals demonstrating the highest performance in the United States. Read more here about the methodology used to determine the top hospitals.
Congratulations to Birthing, Family Care and to all caregivers whose dedication to miracles at YH contributed to the award of these prestigious honors. Your compassion and commitment to safety and to our mission of loving kindness is deeply appreciated by all. Kudos for a job well done!