Saint Francis Hospital Recognized as a Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital

HARTFORD, Conn. -- 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.