Tennessee Hospital Awarded for Infant Sleep Safety Efforts

tennova healthcare cleveland tennessee tennessee charlie's kids foundation sleep baby safe and snug

By Samantha Teran , Parent Herald Mar 27, 09:43 pm

Tennova Healthcare - Cleveland received the Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion in recognition for its efforts in preventing sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS. The award is the highest level given by the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.

Tennova Healthcare sums up infant safe-sleeping practices into ABCs - "Alone, on their Back, and in a Crib." The healthcare network's pediatric unit makes sure that parents and guardians are aware of these rules and stresses that they share it with whoever will be watching over their baby, the Cleveland Banner reports. They also give printed material about sleep safe practices and the Sleep Baby, Safe and Snug board book by Charlie's Kids Foundation to all new parents upon discharge.

Dr. John Hutton the author of Sleep Baby Safe and Snug is sharing it at #AAP14 #safesleep #preventSIDS @Charlies_Kids pic.twitter.com/9hIIrH3g9t

— Cincinnati Childrens (@CincyChildrens) October 12, 2014

Sleep-related infant deaths occur due to accidental cases of suffocation and strangulation, or undetermined causes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention measures approximately 3,500 infant deaths due to these causes in the United States every year. Since Tennova Healthcare's efforts, along with the Tennessee Department of Health and Charlie's Kids Foundation, the state has measured a 25-percent decline in sleep-related infant deaths in the state since 2014.

"The education and outreach we are doing is definitely having an impact," said Elisa Bishop, RN, manager of women's services at Tennova Healthcare. "In addition to our physicians and nursing staff, we congratulate and thank Jerri Gibson, RN, nursery nurse and safe sleep educator, for leading our efforts to become a Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion."

Tennova Healthcare is one of Tennessee's largest healthcare networks and includes 17 hospitals and 9,600 employees, with more than 75,000 admissions and 460,000 emergency department visits each year.