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A national organization has recognized Lompoc Valley Medical Center for its commitment to safe sleep for infants.
The Lompoc hospital received a Bronze Seal designation from the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification program, which was created by Cribs for Kids. The Pittsburgh-based organization is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths attributed to infant suffocation or to Sudden Unexplained Infant Death.
The Bronze Level certification was awarded after Lompoc Valley Medical Center adopted an Infant Safe Sleep Policy and provided staff training about safe sleep for children younger than 12 months. The hospital also met other requirements for the award, according to a news release.
“We are so proud to achieve national recognition for our safe sleep practice and are committed to helping reduce the risk of SIDS in our community,” said Melinda DeHoyos, the Lompoc hospital’s director of perinatal services. “This certification ensures that our nursing staff understands the importance of caregiver education and prevention measures to reduce the risk of SIDS and other preventable sleep related deaths. We are excited to be able to continue to improve the safety of the care we deliver at LVMC.”
As a nationally certified Safe Sleep Hospital, LVMC is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The hospital was also recognized for providing education to healthcare staff and to family caregivers of infants, according to a news release.
“Sleep-Related Death results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every year in the U.S.,” said Dr. Michael H. Goodstein, 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.”
Cribs for Kids Founder and Executive Director Judith A. Bannon said the certification program was launched in 2015. Hundreds of hospitals are certified in the U.S.
“We welcome Lompoc Valley Medical Center to this expanding group of committed hospitals,” she said. “This will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”
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