Doctors Medical Center was recently recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a bronze Safe Sleep Hospital for its commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep.

The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids®, a national infant safe sleep organization. Cribs for Kids is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to SUID and accidental suffocation. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Doctors Medical Center is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and providing training programs for healthcare team members and family caregivers.

“We are so proud of our team for earning this national recognition as a Safe Sleep Hospital,” said Angie Guignard, Director of Women & Children’s Services at Doctors Medical Center. “We are committed to keeping babies safe while they sleep and providing new parents with the tools they need once they leave the hospital. This is just another example of how we are dedicated to providing high-quality care for our community.”

“Sleep-Related Death 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 infant health and safety organizations such as All Baby & Child, The National Center for the Review & Prevention of Child Deaths, Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, Kids in Danger, Children’s Safety Network, American SIDS Institute, Charlie’s Kids, CJ Foundation for SIDS, and numerous state American Academy of Pediatric chapters and health departments.

According to Judith A. Bannon, Executive Director and Founder for Cribs for Kids®, “The certification program launched in 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA, home of the Cribs for Kids® national headquarters. Hundreds of hospitals across the US are certified. We welcome Doctors Medical Center to this expanding group of committed hospitals. This will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”