Three Westchester Medical Center Health Network Hospitals Recognized for Efforts to Promote Safe Sleep Practices

Three Westchester Medical Center Health Network Hospitals Recognized for Efforts to Promote Safe Sleep Practices

Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital and HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus Earn New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC) Safe Sleep Project's Quality Improvement Award

VALHALLA, N.Y. (March 4, 2019) – Westchester Medical Center and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Valhalla and HealthAlliance Hospital: Broadway Campus in Kingston – all members of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) –were recently recognized with the New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC) Safe Sleep Project's Quality Improvement Award. The award recognizes the hospitals' awareness and parent education efforts to impact safe sleep practices and reduce the occurrence of sleep-related deaths in infants.

The recognition is given in honor of the hard work and dedication of staff to improve safe sleep practices and recognizes the medical teams for increasing documentation of caregiver safe sleep education and modeling a safe sleep environment during the infant's hospitalization, as well as ensuring that new mothers and other infant caregivers understand safe sleep protocols.      

Efforts were initiated first in Westchester Medical Center's well-baby nursery, and later at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's Level IV Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (RNICU), for infants of appropriate age and clinical condition. The efforts encouraged the ABCs of Safe Sleep: A baby should always sleep ALONE, without blankets, bumpers or bedding that could cause suffocation; on their BACK; and in a CRIB.

At HealthAlliance, the ABCs of Safe Sleep efforts focused on the hospital's nationally recognized Family Birth Place, which also earned the top-grade "Certified Safe Sleep Champion" credential from the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program consecutively since 2015 for demonstrating the highest commitment to promoting the safest sleep practices for infants.

The NYSPQC focuses on initiatives to provide the best and safest care for women and infants in New York State by collaborating with birthing hospitals, perinatal care providers and other key stakeholders to prevent and minimize harm. Through the Safe Sleep Project, which took place over multiple years, the hospitals implemented initiatives to reduce the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and educate new mothers and infant caregivers about sustainable safety practices they can continue after discharge from the hospital. 

To learn more about Safe Sleep Practices, visit mariafarerichildrens.org/safe-sleeping-guidelines

Reminders of the ABCs of Safe Sleep are placed on cribs in Westchester Medical Center's well-baby nursery and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital's Regional NICU for babies of appropriate age and clinical condition.