Franklin Memorial earns Sleep Safe Champion credential

FARMINGTON – Franklin Memorial Hospital was recently named Silver Safe Sleep Champion by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program. The certification recognizes the hospital for its commitment to keeping infants safe in their sleep environment and eliminating as many sleep-related deaths as possible.

“Sleep-Related Deaths result in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S.,” neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids® Michael H. Goodstein, MD, said. “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 path to silver level certification began with a comprehensive infant safe sleep policy. Other steps to certification included replacing receiving blankets in the hospital with wearable blankets or sleep sacks, training the care team on safe sleeping guidelines, developing a plan to educate parents about safe sleep before they leave the hospital, and modeling safe sleep behaviors in the hospital.

Franklin Memorial Hospital doctors and nurse midwife deliver about 250 babies each year.

“This achievement represents our dedication to patient safety and is a component of our commitment to providing new parents with resources to create a healthy environment for their new babies,” BSN, RN, nursing director MaryAnne Goodwin said. “I am proud of Kristen Viger, RN, who was the project’s leader, as well as the entire team for this effort in providing families and babies with the best possible start.”

According to Goodwin, the only step that prevented the hospital from earning the gold level recognition was to jointly host two community outreach events on safe sleep practices, which will happen in the coming months in collaboration with the Franklin County Children’s Task Force.

According to Judith A. Bannon, executive director and founder for Cribs for Kids®, “The certification program launched in 2015 and hundreds of hospitals across the U.S. are certified. We welcome Franklin Memorial Hospital to this expanding group of committed hospitals. This will have a profound effect on the saving babies’ lives.”