Mercer County Community Hospital has been recognized as a “Gold Safe Sleep Hospital” by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program. This designation was awarded due to their commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep. The program, created by Cribs for Kids®, is a national infant safe sleep organization based in Pittsburgh, PA that aims to prevent sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and accidental suffocation.
As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Mercer Health follows the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and provides training programs for healthcare team members and family caregivers at the highest available designation level.
According to Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids, “Sleep-Related Death (SRD) results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S. 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.”
Ashley Piper, RN, OB Clinical Coordinator for the Childbirth Center at Mercer Health expressed pride in their efforts to join the national movement to reduce infant mortality. She stated, “We have always been promoters of safe sleep. The Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification is an important step in our efforts to provide parents and caregivers with the evidence-based information they need to ensure their babies sleep safely from day one.”
For more information on the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program visit