Published on June 15, 2023
Read Time: 2 Minutes
Phelps Health has achieved bronze level Safe Sleep Certification through Cribs for Kids®, a national infant safe sleep organization. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Phelps Health is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, for providing training programs for healthcare team members, and for educating parents and caregivers in infant safe sleep guidelines.
“Earning this certification is important for Phelps Health. It provides us the opportunity to assist in preventing infant sleep-related deaths by educating parents on the safety and importance of safe sleep practices. We sincerely appreciate The Community Partnership for helping us achieve this certification,” said Stephanie Welch, BSN, RN, director of Obstetrics and Nursery at Phelps Health.
Phelps Health worked with locally based nonprofit The Community Partnership to achieve the certification, a process that requires establishing guidelines and standards for education and training in the prevention of infant sleep-related deaths. With funding through The Community Partnership, the hospital can now provide portable safe sleep cribs free of charge to families in need, Welch explained.
“This program also allows us to provide portable cribs to families who might not otherwise have the means to afford them. These cribs ensure that each child born at Phelps Health as well as every infant living in Phelps County can have a safe place to sleep.”
According to Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., Medical Director of Research at Cribs for Kids®, sleep-related death results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the United States. Cribs for Kids® Hospital Certification Program is designed to recognize hospitals that are taking an active role in reducing these preventable injuries and deaths.
The Community Partnership’s Safe Sleep Program works with area hospitals to achieve certification in part of a coordinated effort to reduce infant sleep-related deaths in mid-Missouri. For more information, contact Safe Sleep Coordinator Susie Baldwin at: susie.baldwin@thecommunitypartnership.org.
