Newswise — Keeping Babies Safe (KBS), a national non-profit organization that educates families about safe sleep, today announced it has signed Hackensack Meridian Health as the 2018 "Be Smart About Safe Sleep” sponsor.
Financial support from the non-profit statewide medical center will be used to support education programs in communities throughout New Jersey where Hackensack Meridian Health is located. The network comprises 16 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties.
“KBS has taken on an enormous responsibility: to educate as many families as possible about the proper way babies should be put to bed,” said Joyce Davis of Warren, a co-founder of KBS. “Moreover, we raise awareness of dangerous products on the market, such as supplemental baby mattresses for play yards, which are a known suffocation hazard. Through the generous support of Hackensack Meridian Health, we are able to reach more families and hopefully save more lives.”
In helping parents create and maintain a safe sleep environment for babies, KBS works with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics to provide the latest and most comprehensive “go to” information. KBS strives to distribute its print, video and training materials from its “Safe Sleep for Babies™” campaign through hospitals, doctors, retailers, manufacturers, state governments and professional caregivers.
“KBS is a dynamic and effective organization, playing a critical role in preventing infant injury and death,” said Ihor S. Sawczuk, M.D., president of Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center. “Through this year-long sponsorship, we look forward to using KBS educational materials within our hospital network as a resource for young, growing families.”
Davis said she looks forward to meeting with Hackensack Meridian Health leaders on May 2, which will be the third-annual “Keeping Babies Safe Day.” The event is an annual celebration of KBS sponsors, lawmakers and other friends who are determined to ensure families get the education they need to protect their little loved ones.
ABOUT KEEPING BABIES SAFE
The mission of Keeping Babies Safe is nothing less than to change public awareness and habits that put babies in jeopardy. KBS is a nonprofit organization that provides education, assistance, advocacy and leadership in the development of safer children’s products and practices. Instrumental in government level activism, KBS helped foster passage of national crib safety regulations and is working through manufacturers, retailers and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban dangerous supplemental mattresses. Moreover, KBS educates parents and the public about protecting babies against unsafe sleep environments and preventing injuries associated with unsafe cribs. As a dedicated resource for free information about the most reliable crib and sleep safety information, safety tips, and product recall information, KBS helps parents, caregivers and hospital personnel stay vigilant about keeping babies safe in their nurseries. Learn more at KeepingBabiesSafe.org
ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children’s hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; 11 community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.
Additionally, the network has more than 160 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care and after-hours centers. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, and 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
The network's notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, four hospitals among the top 10 in New Jersey, including Hackensack University Medical Center which is ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the "20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number one "Best Place to Work for Women." Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.
For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.
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