ST. LOUIS, MO - SSM Health hospitals in the St. Louis region were recently recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program for their commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. SSM Health’s St. Clare Hospital – Fenton, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – St. Louis, SSM Health DePaul Hospital – St. Louis, and SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital – Lake St. Louis achieved the Bronze Level Safe Sleep Certification through Cribs for Kids®. Additionally, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital maintained their Gold Level Certification as a safe sleep hospital, which it has maintained since 2015, and was the first hospital in the region and west of the Mississippi to be certified as a safe sleep hospital.
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, a national infant safe sleep organization. Cribs for Kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and accidental suffocation. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, SSM Health St. Louis area hospitals are 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.
“We are truly grateful for this systemwide certification achievement, and a special thank you to our safe sleep champion committee members and all multidisciplinary team members for caring for children under the age of one,” said Missy Miller, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse Program Specialist. “We are so proud of the commitment that all of our teams have made to infant safe sleep within each of our hospitals and the communities that we serve.”
“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 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 certification hospital program, visit the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep website.
