Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System Earns Gold Cribs for Kids® Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification

Morristown, Tenn. – June 2025 –  Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System is proud to announce its certification as a Gold Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital. This prestigious recognition highlights Morristown Hamblen’s unwavering commitment to meeting rigorous guidelines and following best practices in infant safe sleep set by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program to provide the highest quality care for its youngest patients.

Cribs for Kids® is a national safe sleep initiative dedicated to reducing infant mortality. To earn a Gold certification, hospitals must have an infant safe sleep policy, promote sleep education to staff and families, identify families in need of infant safe sleep spaces and provide resources to them, and engage in a minimum of two community outreach initiatives on safe sleep education.

According to the most recent data (released in 2024), there were 142 sleep-related infant deaths in Tennessee in 2022. “Sleep-related deaths are the number one reason we lose our babies each year—3,400 infants annually,” said Michael H. Goodstein, MD, neonatologist and medical director at Cribs for Kids. He added, “We know that parents replicate at home what they see done in the hospital, so modeling safe sleep and providing education to families will have an impact on infant mortality. The Cribs for Kids program recognizes hospitals making this commitment.”

“This recognition reflects our ongoing dedication to educating families and modeling safe sleep practices that will help reduce preventable infant deaths. We remain committed to ensuring every child has a safe and healthy start in life,” said Mandy Demitraszek, labor and delivery manager at Morristown-Hamblen.

A generous donation to the Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Foundation from Noel Montepeque and his family allowed Morristown-Hamblen to invest in sleep sacks for every newborn, which help keep the baby warm without the risk of blankets causing accidental suffocation. Providing the sleep sacks for newborns help meet requirements to earn the Gold Safe Sleep Hospital certification.

“The Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Foundation and generous donors make programs and initiatives like this become a reality,” says Haley Fugate, development manager of the Morristown-Hamblen Hospital Foundation. “We are grateful to Mr. Montepeque’s foresight of what this means for our community and the difference it will make in our youngest patients’ lives.”

Judy Bannon, CEO and founder of Cribs for Kids, explained, “The National Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was launched in 2015, rooted in the Safe Sleep Recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Research shows families tend to follow at home what they see practiced in the hospital. With over 500 infant safe sleep-certified hospitals across the country and beyond, we are proud to welcome Morristown-Hamblen to our program. This initiative will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”

Morristown-Hamblen offers a full range of maternity services, from prenatal care to delivery to postnatal care and education. In addition to the Gold Safe Sleep certification, the hospital is also a Blue Distinction Center+ in Maternity Care from BlueCross BlueShield.

For more information about Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit, www.cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification.

About Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System

Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System is a 167-bed hospital serving residents throughout the surrounding eight-county area. The hospital offers comprehensive medical care with six Centers of Excellence, including Morristown Regional Cancer Center, a Women’s Center, Breast Center, Outpatient Surgery Center, an Emergency and Critical Care Center, and the Heart, Lung and Vascular Center. Covenant Health Morristown-Hamblen’s 125-year heritage reflects a patient-focused approach with a commitment to integrity, quality and service to our communities. Visit CovenantHealth.com/Morristown-Hamblen to learn more.