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Baby Safety Showers Help Hospital Make an Impact in Addressing Infant Mortality

By Tiffany Conover posted 04-03-2019 12:31 PM

  
infant-mortality.pngIn Indiana, the infant mortality rate is the seventh highest in the country, with 7.6 deaths per thousand births versus a nationwide rate of 5.9. That alarming statistic was the impetus behind the Indiana State Department of Health creating a grants program to address the problem. When trauma nurses at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes learned about the program, which established a state model for “Baby Safety Showers, they applied for and received $25,000 to develop such an event.

Showering Parents with Knowledge
“Because of the high number of infant deaths within our service area, our trauma department wanted to take action to help save babies’ lives,” said Tiffany Conover, director of marketing at Good Samaritan. Collaborating with four other local hospitals, the nurses identified that the leading causes of infant mortality were injuries, sudden infant death syndrome, a lack of parental awareness of car seat safety and safe sleep practices. Armed with this knowledge, the nurses focused Good Samaritan’s event for high-risk expectant moms on:
  • Infant CPR.
  • Shaken baby syndrome.
  • Safe sleep practices.
  • Car seat safety.
  • Fire safety.
  • Bathing safety.
  • Pet safety.
  • Breastfeeding.
  • Immunizations.
Designed to look and feel like a real baby shower, the May 2017 event was attended by 30 mothers-to-be who strolled among educational booths and exhibits that provided hands-on demonstrations and valuable information on a wide variety of baby care topics, said Conover.

Results
Since the inaugural baby shower, Good Samaritan has hosted five more with similar attendance. Of the 180 babies born to mothers who participated, 100 percent have survived and reached their first birthday. The state department of health is now offering Good Samaritan’s how-to guide for other organizations interested in hosting similar events.

The program has also had a positive effect on Good Samaritan and become part of its marketing efforts. And thanks to the initiative, 16 hospital employees became certified passenger safety technicians (CPST) and are actively teaching parents how to properly install car seats for their children. As a result, 98 percent of babies born at Good Samaritan are now being discharged with a car seat correctly installed by a CPST.

To learn more...

SHSMD members, read the article “Making a Difference in Combating Infant Mortality” published in a recent issue of SHSMD’s Spectrum newsletter.
Nonmembers, for more content like this, join SHSMD!


This blog features an interview with:

Tiffany Conover
Director of Marketing
Good Samaritan
Vincennes, Indiana
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