Infants discharged after a stay at the Community Hospital North NICU will now be sent home with a HALO Swaddle SleepSack embroidered with Community Health Network Foundation’s logo. Presenting the family with a sleep sack will help reinforce North’s NICU safe sleep education program in the neonate’s home environment, an initiative partially funded by Community Health Network Foundation.

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is responsible for more infant deaths in the United States than any other cause of death during infancy beyond the neonatal period. It is a phenomenon of unknown cause and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) initiated the “Back to Sleep” campaign in an effort to help minimize the prevalence of this threat.

While the AAP supports swaddling, loose bedding can accidentally cover or wrap around an infant’s head or neck, increasing the risk of SIDS. Therefore, the AAP recommends the utilization of infant sleep sacks to replace loose blankets in the crib. The HALO Swaddle SleepSack wearable blanket fits this standard. These sacks are specifically designed to keep the infant warm without the possible hazard of head covering, which will hopefully decrease the incidence of SIDS.

Since many parents tend to replicate practices they observe in hospital settings, providing this sleep sack to parents and NICU graduates promotes the importance of safe sleep in the home and helps babies sleep safely from the start.

Donated safe sleep education materials will also be provided to the family of every neonate upon discharge with the HALO SleepSack. These items stress the importance of the AAP “Back to Sleep” message for parents and the benefits of utilizing the SleepSack.