Family Birthplace at Memorial Hospital West Celebrates National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification

Memorial Hospital West Family Birthplace was once again recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as Gold Safe Sleep Champion for its commitment to best practices (or evidence-based 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. This is the second time The Family Birthplace at Memorial Hospital West received this prestigious certification.

“I celebrate each of our Memorial Hospital West Family Birthplace team member’s commitment to best practices, education and community outreach in support of safe infant sleep,” said Mary Roberts, EdD, APRN, director of Nursing, Family Birthplace at Memorial Hospital West. “We are proud to join the national effort to reduce infant mortality and The Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification is an important step in our efforts to provide parents and caregivers with information they need to ensure their babies sleep safely from day one.”

Sleep-Related Death (SRD) results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S. 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 injuries and deaths. Hospitals that receive a Safe Sleep designation are evaluated on nine requirements that include implementing a hospital-wide safe sleep protocol for infants and providing safe sleep education to caregivers and families of babies less than one year old.

Memorial Family Birthplace has three locations throughout Broward County that provide comprehensive labor and delivery care, online classes and support, breastfeeding and lactation services, high-quality maternity services, as well as international maternity services for pregnant moms living abroad.