Monday, Highland Community Hospital received an award for their Safe Sleep Campaign, which encourages safe sleeping practices for infants and aims to lower instances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in the state of Mississippi.

The Mississippi SIDS and Infant Safety Alliance, along with the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Committee, presented the safe sleep seal to Highland’s Administrator Mark Stockstill and other hospital personnel for their involvement with the program.

“We just wanted to give them the seal of approval and let them know the great job they’re doing with the program,” Mississippi SIDS Executive Director Cathy Files said.

In Mississippi, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the primary causes of infant mortality, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Highland’s Director of OB Services Janelle Imhoff, RN, said the hospital is proud to offer services that help reduce SIDS in the state.

“It’s been a year since we started this at our hospital, and this program has been instrumental in providing the community ways to prevent SIDS and keep infants safe,” Imhoff said.

She also said the hospital provides numerous resources and educational tools, including videos, brochures and instructional demonstrations to teach new parents about safe sleeping practices for their infants.

“What we do is we have a video we show parents before they’re discharged and it instructs them on safe sleeping practices for their infant,” Imhoff said. “We also make sure our hospital personnel know how to handle infants when they’re in the hospital. They take an annual online education curriculum dealing with SIDS.”

Throughout the campaign, Highland has worked with the Mississippi Department of Health, the Mississippi SIDS and Infant Safety Alliance, the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Committee and the March of Dimes.

Mississippi State Department of Health’s FIMR Coordinator Cheryl Coleman-Doyle said she’s proud of the staff at Highland for their active involvement with the campaign.

“Highland is actually the first hospital along the coast to receive the award and the second hospital in the state of Mississippi to receive it for their efforts in promoting education for SIDS,” Doyle said.

According to the Mississippi Department of Health, Mississippi has seen an increase of SIDS throughout the years.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development offers several ways parents can lower the risk of SIDS with their infant, including placing a baby on his or her back to sleep, using a firm sleeping surface in a safety-approved crib, breastfeeding the infant, and dressing the infant in no more than one layer of clothing during sleep.