Excela Health Maternity Center Adds to Accolades

GREENSBURG, PA, September 28, 2020 … The Family Additions Maternity Center at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital is once again lauded for its commitment to best practices on a national level. The latest recognition comes from the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program where Excela Health was identified as a Safe Sleep Leader at the Silver level. Earlier this year, the hospital was named among the Best Maternity Hospitals by Newsweek, which included Excela Health among 231 hospitals in 36 states in the news magazine’s annual recognition.

The Safe Sleep certification program was created by Cribs for Kids®, the only
national infant safe sleep organization. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Cribs for Kids® is
dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. As a
Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Excela Westmoreland is recognized for
following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), and providing training programs for healthcare team members and
family caregivers.

Excela Health’s certified childbirth educators teach safe sleep practices during
the free monthly classes offered to expectant parents. Those practices are reinforced
following delivery as part of postpartum care for mothers and newborns, and during
subsequent checkups with the child’s care provider. The Safe Sleep certification is valid for five years and subjects to annual audit until the recertification period in 2025.

“Sleep-Related Death (SRD) results in the loss of more than 3,500 infants every
year in the U.S.,” said Michael H. Goodstein, MD, neonatologist and medical director of research at Cribs for Kids®. “We know that modeling safe infant sleep in the hospital and providing education to families has a significant effect on infant mortality. Cribs for Kids Hospital Certification Program is designed to recognize those hospitals that are taking an active role in reducing these preventable deaths.”

The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created in
partnership with leading infant health and safety organizations such as All Baby & Child, The National Center for the Review & Prevention of Child Deaths, Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, Kids in Danger, Children’s Safety Network, American SIDS Institute, Charlie’s Kids, CJ Foundation for SIDS, and numerous state American Academy of Pediatrics chapters and health departments.

According to Judith A. Bannon, Executive Director and Founder for Cribs for
Kids®, “The certification program launched in 2015 in Pittsburgh, PA, home of the Cribs for Kids® national headquarters. Hundreds of hospitals across the U.S. are certified. We welcome Excela Health to this expanding group of committed hospitals. This will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”

Annually, Excela Health’s Family Additions Maternity Center welcomes 1,250
newborns. The Center comprises 10 private labor-delivery-recovery (LDR) suites as
well as a Special Care Level II Intensive Care Nursery. The Center is also recognized
within the state of Pennsylvania among another select group of birthing centers for
achieving other quality metrics related to newborn inoculation and breastfeeding, which add to the overall health and wellness of mothers and their offspring.

“This latest acknowledgment continues to showcase the quality of care available in Westmoreland County from Excela Health,” noted John Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer. “Expectant mothers and their families can be assured that they are in expert hands throughout their pregnancy and beyond, as our clinicians provide the most up-to-date evidence-based care.”

To learn more about Excela Health’s Family Additions Maternity Center, visit excelahealth.org and search maternity.

For more information on the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital
Certification program visit https://cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification/

About Excela Health:

Excela Health, a 578-bed, tertiary-based health System in Westmoreland County, PA, includes three hospitals – Excela Westmoreland Hospital, Excela Latrobe Hospital, and Excela Frick Hospital – and serves more than 23,000 inpatients, 700,000 outpatients, and 100,000 emergency visits annually. With more than 700 physicians and allied health professionals and 4,300 employees, Excela is a regional leader in clinical areas such as Cardiovascular Disease, Orthopedics, and Emergency Medicine.

The System has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report. To
learn more, visit www.excelahealth.org.