Vim & Vigor - Winter 2013 - Community Healthcare - (Page 56)

Getting Babies 'Back' to Sleep By eliSe SimS providers about ways to reduce risk for SUIDs and other sleep-related causes of infant death. Nurses unite to spread message of safer sleep practices B Keeping BaBies safe online abies in cribs are sleeping safer and their parents have greater peace of mind, thanks to vigilant efforts of the nursing staff at Community Healthcare System hospitals. Nurse educators have been spreading the message of safe sleeping methods for babies in an effort to move Lake County from last position as the Indiana county with the highest number of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs). "Safe sleep practices are taught from the get-go," says Mary Puntillo, RNC-NIC, RNC-LRN, neonatal clinician at Community Hospital. "We are committed to spreading the message of baby 'Back to Sleep; By Myself; in a Naked Crib.' We use HALO® SleepSacks™ for babies born at our hospitals. The sleeper sack is a soft wearable blanket with a swaddle feature that replaces loose blankets in a crib. New moms are seeing it, hearing it from the moment baby is born, and we're teaching it in our communities with Taking Care of Baby and Grandparent classes so that hopefully, they will do the same at home." For her efforts, Puntillo has been named a "Safe to Sleep" Champion by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The Safe to Sleep campaign (previously known as the Back to Sleep campaign) strives to educate parents, caregivers and healthcare Community Healthcare System nurses spread the message of safer sleep practices at Babies R Us (from left to right): Hope Robinson, RN-C; Pam Krasowski, RN; and Teresa DeYoung, RN. 56 WINTE R 2 013 SUIDs are, for the most part, preventable and are a result of unsafe sleep practices. According to First Candle, one of the nation's leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the survival of babies through the first years of life and a Safe to Sleep campaign collaborator, there are 4,500 SUIDs per year in the U.S. Eighty to 90 percent of those deaths are from babies sleeping in an unsafe environment. With Community Healthcare System hospitals- Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart-leading Lake County in infant deliveries, the hospitals' nursery staff has taken a leadership stance in keeping babies safe. By taking education and awareness to another level, one by one, families-and other area hospitals-are beginning to follow the new recommended guidelines. Besides teaching in the Taking Care of Baby and Grandparents classes, Puntillo and co-NICU staff nurses Teresa DeYoung, RN; Hope Robinson, RN-C; and Pam Krasowski, RN, have reached out to the community spreading the word through Baby Fairs at Babies R Us. This past June, Puntillo brought the Safe to Sleep message before the Northwest Indiana Patient Safety Coalition. The coalition is made up of healthcare leaders from Northwest Indiana facilities who work toward health and safety issues across the age span. Numerous hospitals and clinics are represented, along with two university nursing programs. "We're proud that our nurses have made the decision to spread the word about proper sleep environments and take a leading role in preventing the tragic deaths of babies," says John Gorski, chief operating officer of Community Healthcare System. Are You a New Mom? Talk to your doctor about other ways to keep your baby safe. Need a physician? Log on to www.comhs.org and click "find a physician" to search our directory. http://www.comhs.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2013 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2013 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Community Briefs
Timely Answers, Quality Treatment
Breathing for Bonnie
Powered by Patients
Got Excuses?
Managing Your Health with a DIY Tool Kit
Is It the Stress Talking?
The Wonderful World of Greens
Knee-to-Know Basics
On the Cover
Run for Your Life
14 Good-for-You Gifts
Special Delivery
Virtual Health
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
Getting Babies ‘Back’ to Sleep

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2013 - Community Healthcare