​Spreading the Word

 

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Superstar hospitals help spread the word about infant safe sleep.  Get the message out beyond the walls of your nursery:

• Provide safe sleep messages (brochures, posters, or video) in other areas of the hospital (e.g. outpatient obstetric and pediatric clinics, emergency department, general waiting areas, cafeteria).  
• Put safe sleep message tags or stickers on infant items in the gift shop (see sample below).
• Put safe sleep information prominently on the hospital’s website or Facebook page.
• Reach out to local health care providers:
  • Present Pediatric Grand Rounds on safe sleep.
  • Present Obstetric Grand Rounds on safe sleep.
  • Send a message from hospital leadership to local pediatric and obstetric providers, reminding them that SIDS and sleep-related deaths remain a serious problem. Enlist their help.  Provide them with safe sleep materials (brochures, posters, or video) or links to get free materials.
• Provide safe sleep materials to local community sites (e.g. community center, the Y, local library, parks or pools, stores or shopping areas)
• Reach out to the faith community with information and materials.
• Engage directly with pregnant women and families with young children at local health fairs.  Do more than hand out brochures – show a video, have a crib set up with infant sleep hazards and challenge parents to identify all the problems for a prize.
• Publish an editorial in the local newspaper.
• Be creative and develop your own ideas.