Oklahoma Children's Hospital at OU Health Earns Certification

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Children’s Hospital at OU Health recently became the state’s first hospital to earn the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification at the gold level.

As a Gold Safe Sleep Champion, The Children’s Hospital was recognized for its commitment to best practices and educational efforts that support safe infant sleep. The designation requires perpetual performance at this level of certification that includes:

• Onboarding and ongoing training of team members for adherence to Infant Safe Sleep Policy
• Education of parents, guardians and other caregivers of patients, 1 year of age and younger
• Use of sleep sacks and education regarding proper use before or at time of discharge
• Required annual program evaluation by Cribs for Kids
• Completion of at least two community education events and/or media outreach campaigns, evaluated by Cribs for Kids
• Maintenance of hospital status providing a safety-approved sleep space for at-risk infants.
• Collaboration with appropriate departments to ensure that all images used across social media and/or websites project and promote safe infant sleep and safe sleep environments

Tena J. Fry, DNP, APRN, Women’s and Newborn Services, said, “As the state’s most comprehensive resource for children’s healthcare, The Children’s Hospital perpetually seeks areas in which to demonstrate its commitment to patient- and family-centered care. The Cribs for Kids designation as a Gold Safe Sleep Champion is the culmination of a unified and coordinated team effort, and I’m deeply grateful for the role every person has played to achieve this honor.”

Adherence to safe sleep practices reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death. Precautionary measures include putting babies to bed on their backs, not their stomachs, and using a firm and flat sleep surface. Soft objects, including toys, crib bumpers and loose bedding should be removed from the sleep area.

“Sleep safety warrants a high level of awareness and we embrace opportunities to be part of this nurturing patient/provider partnership,” said Fry. “Some information may seem obvious, but new parents often face many challenges and distractions. We strive to support them in ways that ensure healthy babies and build parents’ confidence in caring for their infants.”

The certification is valid through 2025, when Children’s will seek recertification that acknowledges the same high standards currently recognized.

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THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

At The Children’s Hospital, pediatric staff blends years of training with education, research and technology to improve the lives of children throughout the region. The obstetric emergency room at The Children’s Hospital is a regional referral center for the state, and the neonatal intensive care unit provides the highest level of newborn care in Oklahoma. Children’s is also home to the only 24/7 pediatric emergency room in Oklahoma City. With a family-centered approach to healing, Children’s offers resources from pet therapy to child life specialists who help families cope with hospitalization and illness. From advanced surgical services to general pediatrics, oncology care and more, The Children’s Hospital provides cutting-edge research and treatments through hospital-based and outpatient services. To learn more, visit oumedicine.com/childrens.

OU MEDICINE

OU Health — along with its academic partner, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center — is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system of hospitals, clinics and centers of excellence. With 11,000 employees and more than 1,300 physicians and advanced practice providers, OU Health is home to Oklahoma’s largest physician network with a complete range of specialty care. OU Health serves Oklahoma and the region with the state’s only freestanding children’s hospital, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Stephenson Cancer Center and Oklahoma’s flagship hospital, which serves as the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. OU Health is the No. 1 ranked hospital system in Oklahoma, and its oncology program at Stephenson Cancer Center and OU Medical Center ranked in the Top 50 in the nation, in the 2019-2020 rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. OU Health was also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as high performing in four specialties: Ophthalmology in partnership with Dean McGee Eye Institute, Colon Surgery, COPD and Congestive Heart Failure. OU Health’s mission is to lead healthcare in patient care, education and research. To learn more, visit oumedicine.com.