Recently, the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program recognized Mercer County Community Hospital as a “Gold Safe Sleep Hospital.” This designation was given in recognition of their commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. The program was created by Cribs for Kids®, a national infant safe sleep organization based in Pittsburgh, PA that is dedicated to preventing sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and accidental suffocation.
As a certified safe sleep hospital, Mercer Health follows the guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and provides training programs for healthcare team members and family caregivers at the highest available level. According to Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids, “Sleep-related Death (SRD) results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S. We know that modeling safe infant sleep in the hospital and providing education to families has a significant effect on infant mortality. The Cribs for Kids Hospital Certification Program is designed to recognize those hospitals that are taking an active role in reducing these preventable deaths.”
Ashley Piper, RN, OB Clinical Coordinator for the Childbirth Center at Mercer Health expressed pride in their efforts to join the national movement to reduce infant mortality. She stated “We have always been promoters of safe sleep. The Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification is an important step in our efforts to provide parents and caregivers with the evidence-based information they need to ensure their babies sleep safely from day one.”
For more information on the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program visit