IU Health Arnett Hospital named Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion

Indiana University Health Arnett Hospital has been recognized by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion – the highest designation recognizing hospitals that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep.

The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids® in partnership with leading infant health and safety organizations to recognize hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to reducing infant sleep-related deaths by promoting best safe sleep practices and by educating patients on infant sleep safety. By becoming certified, a hospital demonstrates that it is committed to being a community leader and is proactively eliminating as many sleep-related deaths as possible. Through the program, hospitals can earn one of three National Safe Sleep Certifications based on their levels of commitment. Gold is the highest designation in the Cribs for Kids® hospital certification program that utilizes safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“This high-level designation shows that IU Health Arnett is committed to reducing Indiana’s alarming infant mortality rate by educating the community and providing mothers and families with the resources and tools they need to ensure they are following best practices for infant safe sleep,” said Selina McNulty, RN, BN, manager labor & delivery, mother baby. “We are determined to do everything we can to make certain every family knows the ABCs of sleep safety – always place your baby alone, on his or her back, in a crib – every time.”

This Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion certification is the second received by IU Health Arnett Hospital. Each designation is for five years. IU Health Arnett Hospital received its first Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion certification in 2016.

Facts About Infant Mortality

• Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby before his or her first birthday. The infant mortality rate measures the number of babies who die in the first year of life per 1,000 live births.
• Indiana is home to one of the nation’s highest infant mortality rates. According to the Indiana State Department of Health, 525 infants died before their first birthday in 2019, which puts the infant mortality rate at 6.7 per 1,000 live births – well above the national average, which was 5.9 that year.
• Every year in the U.S., there are approximately 3,500 infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation, asphyxia or undetermined causes during sleep.

About the safe sleep certification program:

The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created in partnership with leading 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.

For more information on the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification program visit www.cribsforkids.org.