CINCINNATI (December 11, 2024) – The Christ Hospital Health Network achieves certification as a Gold Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital. This award recognizes our commitment to best practices in infant safe sleep, ensuring the highest standards of care for our youngest patients. By earning this certification, The Christ Hospital demonstrates adherence to rigorous guidelines established by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death in infants from age one month to one
year. While it is not totally preventable, parents can do several things to help reduce the risk of SIDS.
Place your baby on their back to sleep.
Do not sleep with your baby.
Provide your baby with “tummy time” while they are awake and directly observed by an adult.
Place your baby in a safety-approved crib with a firm mattress and avoid excess soft bedding materials.
"Our team has worked diligently to meet the requirements to earn this certification and underscores our dedication to providing safe sleep care for our babies,” said Leanne Olshavsky, MD, Director of Women’s Health at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “We are committed to ensuring that every newborn and infant at both the Mt. Auburn and Liberty Birthing Centers receives the highest level of care, including promoting safe sleep practices that align with the guidelines of Cribs for Kids®.”
Cribs for Kids® is a national safe sleep initiative dedicated to reducing infant mortality. The importance of safe sleep habits is important for new parents to take care of their child when they leave the hospital.
“Sleep related deaths are the number one reason we lose our babies each year—3,400 infants annually,” said Michael H. Goodstein, MD, neonatologist and medical director at Cribs for Kids. “We know that parents do at home what they see done in the hospital so modeling safe sleep and providing education to families will have an impact on infant mortality. Cribs for Kids program recognizes hospitals making this commitment.”
The Christ Hospital Health Network remains a proud member of Cradle Cincinnati, an organization dedicated to ending infant mortality in Hamilton County. Sleep-related infant deaths continue to be one of the leading causes of infant mortality in Hamilton County, accounting for 23% of all infant deaths between 2019 and 2023.
“The National Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program launched in 2015,” said Judy Bannon, CEO and founder of Cribs for Kids. “It is rooted in the Safe Sleep Recommendations made by American Academy of Pediatrics and the research that demonstrates families do at home what they see done in the hospital. There are over 500 infant safe sleep certified hospitals across the country and beyond. We are proud to welcome The Christ Hospital Health Network to our program. It will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”
For more information about Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit, www.cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification.
About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For more than 130 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up for more than 1,300 physicians and more than 6,500 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region and named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2024.