Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - CH - 3

Community Briefs 3

Taking Care of Babies
UPDATES FROM INFANT CARE TEAMS AT THE HOSPITALS
OF COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
St. Mary Medical Center 

In honor of their son Nathan
and on behalf of all premature
babies, Phil and Kim Splant
of St. John have donated a
commemorative bench to
Community Hospital and a
$1,000 check.

Community Hospital

When Nathan C. Splant arrived
15 weeks before his due date on
January 10, 2004, he weighed less
than 2 pounds and was 12 inches
long. Today, he is a healthy
15-year-old. In honor of their son
and on behalf of all premature
babies, Phil and Kim Splant of
St. John have donated a commemorative bench to the hospital
and $1,000.
"We are forever grateful to
Community Hospital's NICU
(Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
and all that they do for premature babies and families," Phil
Splant says.
The family continues to find
ways to enhance the lives of those
touched by prematurity through
the Nathan C. Splant Foundation.
For more information, visit
ncsplantfoundation.org.

St. Catherine Hospital is the 17th site
to install a Safe Haven Baby Box; it's
located in the northwest wall of the
hospital.

St. Catherine Hospital

In October, St. Catherine Hospital
installed the 17th Safe Haven Baby Box
in a three-state area. The Safe Haven
Law allows people to anonymously
surrender a newborn without fear
of prosecution.
"We know that education and awareness around the Safe Haven Laws and
Safe Haven Baby Boxes save lives," says
Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica
Kelsey. "Women in crisis need more
options and in more locations throughout the state of Indiana."
Safe Haven Baby Boxes have heating
and cooling features, lock as soon as a
baby is placed inside and have a sensor to alert staff. The box is located in
the west wall of the hospital near the
Family Birthing Center at 4321 Fir St.
in East Chicago.
For more information, visit
https://shbb.org.

Community Healthcare System
hospitals have long led the way in
modeling safe sleep practices for
newborns. Taking another step
in support of Indiana's safe sleep
efforts, St. Mary Medical Center's
Family Birthing Center is sending
each first-time mom home with
an Evenflo® portable crib. The
equipment can open up a conversation with new parents about safe
sleep practices.
"Most parents already have a
crib for their newborn," says Mary
Moell, nurse manager of the hospital's Family Birthing Center. "We
wanted to offer a new portable crib
so that the grandparents or caregivers also have a safe place at their
home for baby to sleep."
These best practices are helping
to decrease the number of sudden
infant deaths across the state.

St. Mary Medical Center's Family Birthing
Center is sending each new mom home with
an Evenflo portable crib.

The Best Start

For more information on how
we care for our littlest patients, visit
COMHS.org/baby.

VIM & VIGOR SUMMER 2020

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3/30/20 1:22 PM
http://www.ncsplantfoundation.org http://www.COMHS.org/baby https://www.shbb.org
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - CH

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