Press Release

County Employees Support St. Mary’s Healthcare with Cribs for Kids Initiative

Program Strives to Educate and Provide Safe Sleeping Arrangements for Infants

FONDA - Montgomery County employees raised $370 through a "Jeans Day" to support the Cribs for Kids initiative taking place at St. Mary’s Healthcare.

Montgomery County Public and Mental Health Director Sara Boerenko suggested raising funds for Cribs for Kids. The county often holds "Jeans Days" on Fridays to raise money for worthy causes. She said her department works with individuals from pre-birth to death, but approximately 90 percent of who they assist is children from pre-birth to five-years-old. Boerenko said it’s extremely important for infants to have a safe place to sleep when they are born and suggested assisting St. Mary’s with their efforts.

Director of Women’s Services Julia Shafer, MSN, of St. Mary’s Healthcare, said the hospital wanted to work on a safe sleep quality improvement project and decided to become partners with Cribs for Kids. Cribs for Kids is a national program which began to provide safe-sleep education and safe portable cribs to families who could not otherwise afford them. The program also educates about the dangers of unsafe sleep environments to try and prevent Sudden Unexplained Infant Death. Shafer, along with program chair Lydia Barnett and several others in the Labor and Delivery Unit have been working on the project.

"We want every baby to make it to the first year," Shafer said.

St. Mary’s made a goal of raising funds to purchase safe cribs for families. A total of $2,500 was raised. Cribs for Kids matched these funds. St. Mary’s was able to purchase approximately 100 Cribettes. The Cribette, which was introduced by Cribs for Kids, is a transportable, safe sleep environment for infants. According to their website, the Cribette has all the safety features of a Pack ‘n Play and includes the infant safe sleep message imprinted on the fabric – A B C – Alone on my Back in a Crib, which is a reminder of how an infant should sleep. The Cribette is used as not only a safe sleeping environment, but an educational tool, the website states.

Shafer said their goal was to have enough cribs for at least 250 families with limited financial resources. The "Jeans Day" donation will assist in purchasing the Cribettes, which cost approximately $59 each.

"I’m so overjoyed that county employees always come together to support the families in need in our community," Boerenko said.