Holzer Joins ‘Safe Sleep is Good4Baby’ Campaign

Holzer is proud to join the Ohio Hospital Association’s statewide initiative – “Safe Sleep is Good4Baby”. Ohio has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the nation, ranked 47th with a rate of 7.6 in 2012.

“Although many organizations have been working tirelessly to improve the statewide rate, Ohio continues to fall behind nationally,” said Mike Abrams, OHA president and CEO. “As healthcare leaders in our communities, hospitals are ideal partners to help address this issue in a coordinated and targeted way.” Many factors influence infant mortality, but in Ohio each year more than 150 incidents are sleep-related (including SIDS, accidental suffocation, positional asphyxia, overlay and undetermined causes). The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Ohio Department of Health recommend that all infants sleep alone, on their backs and in a crib – every time they are placed to sleep – to avoid these unfortunate tragedies.

Ohio’s hospitals have a unique opportunity to reach the parents of nearly 140,000 newborns every year with educational messages about the importance of providing a safe sleeping environment. Taking advantage of this opportunity, OHA is kicking off an exciting initiative, Safe Sleep is Good4Baby, to draw attention to the vital part that safe sleep plays in reducing Ohio’s infant mortality rate, and educate parents, caregivers and the community about the importance of providing safe sleep environments for infants.

As a participant of the campaign, Holzer – Gallipolis Maternity and Family Center will be taking the following steps:
• Modeling safe sleep practices in the Gallipolis hospital;
• Counseling new parents and families about safe sleep, and providing parents with a safe sleep diaper bag, sleeper, board book and educational materials;
• Advocating and educating in the community about the importance of safe sleep.
Created with the entire family in mind, Holzer’s Maternity and Family Center is where new mothers enjoy privacy, skilled care, and the latest available technology in a comfortable and relaxed setting – all supported by a compassionate healthcare team. It’s where more and more families trust us to deliver the highest quality, family-centered maternity care available. As expectant parents, you want to be comfortable with answers to many questions you probably have. That’s why we offer several classes on a regular basis, design to help you know more about changes you can expect before, during and after the birth of your child.
A number of maternity classes are available to make sure you receive the latest information, which are taught by staff members who have had special nursing and educational training under the direction of a certified childbirth educator. All course content is developed with the support of our medical team, who meet the highest certification standards in the nation.

For more information about this campaign, visit www.ohanet.org/safesleep. For more information on Holzer’s Maternity and Family Center services, please visit www.holzer.org or call 1-855-4-HOLZER.