Eight NYC Health + Hospitals Sites Recognized with Safe Sleep Designation
Safe Sleep practices help reduce the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Aug 30, 2023
NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that four of its hospitals were recognized for educating parents about safe sleep practices for newborns. Safe Sleep practices help reduce the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Cribs for Kids, a national organization dedicated to promoting safe sleep education, awarded NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, and NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health with a gold-level designation and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue with a silver-level designation. The designation lasts for five years, and all four hospitals have been recognized previously. They join four other sites in the health system. All NYC Health + Hospitals facilities promote safe sleep practices for new mothers and families with infants.
“NYC Health + Hospitals is proud to champion safe sleep practices at all of our facilities,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Machelle Allen, MD. “Every parent and caregiver of infants should learn about safe sleep to make sure they are providing the best possible environment for a child to live and grow. Thank you to Cribs for Kids for the extraordinary work you do and for recognizing our sites’ commitment to infant safety.”
A safe sleep environment for an infant includes the following:
- Use a firm sleep surface covered by a fitted sheet; a crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard that meets the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is recommended.
- Your baby should not sleep in an adult bed, on a couch, or on a chair alone, with you, or with anyone else.
- Sitting devices like bouncy seats, swings, infant carriers, or strollers should not be used for routine sleep.
- Keep soft objects such as pillows, blankets, toys, and bumpers out of your baby’s sleep area.
- Always place a baby on his or her back to sleep for naps and at night to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Keep your baby’s sleep area in the same room where you sleep (for the infant’s first year). Room sharing, not bed sharing. Always place the baby in a safety-approved crib, bassinet, or portable crib for sleep.
- Do not use wedges and positioners.
- Do not smoke during pregnancy or allow smoking around your baby.
- Do not let your baby get too hot during sleep.
The full list of NYC Health + Hospitals sites with the Cribs for Kids safe sleep designation is as follows:
- BRONX
- NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, Gold
- BROOKLYN
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, Bronze
- NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health, Gold
- MANHATTAN
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Silver
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, Bronze
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, Gold
- QUEENS
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, Gold
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, Gold
Cribs for Kids’ National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification program recognizes hospitals and hospital systems for their commitment to infant safe sleep to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and unsafe sleep injuries. The program confers a bronze, silver, and gold designation to hospitals that model and teach infant safe sleep according to current American Academy of Pediatrics best practices. Hospitals are evaluated based on their ability to promote safe sleep education to infant caregivers, train staff, implement quality improvement measures, distribute safe sleep spaces to families who need them, and engage in community outreach about safe sleep.
NYC Health + Hospitals offers a wide range of obstetric and gynecologic services including primary care, family planning, abortion care, prenatal through delivery care, midwifery and referrals for doula services, postpartum care, breastfeeding/lactation services, breast exams, nutrition, behavioral health referrals, preventative care, and vaccinations. Gynecology services include menopause and fibroid treatments, as well as specialty practices for gynecologic cancers, pelvic pain and endometriosis.
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MEDIA CONTACT: 212-788-3339; PressOffice@nychhc.org
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.