New Jersey is the first state to adopt The Baby Box Co. program to reduce reduce sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUIDS) and Cooper will be the first hospital in the state to become a distribution center. The company behind the global program Baby Box University has a goal to improve family health care outcomes. In 2017, the program will distribute approximately 105,000 Baby Boxes as part of a CDC grant, ensuring that every expecting family in New Jersey has access to this free resource regardless of socioeconomic background.
As a distribution center, Cooper’s Patient Relations team will provide a Baby Box to new parents who sign on to the Baby Box University website, take the education course and test, and present their certificate. Each box comes with a custom mattress with fitted sheet so that it can be used as a bassinet. Also included are new parent essentials including diapers, breast pads, and activity cards for infants.
Kathryn M. McCans, MD, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, was instrumental in bringing the initiative to Cooper to discourage unsafe sleeping circumstances including, but not limited to, bed sharing, having pillows and blankets in the crib, or sleeping on a couch with an infant.
The Baby Box Company is hosting a kick-off in the Roberts Pavilion on Thursday, January 26, 2017, from 10 a.m. to noon.