Golisano Children’s at UK earns Safe Sleep Hospital gold status
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2026) — Golisano Children’s at UK was recently awarded certification as a gold level Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital. This certification recognizes healthcare team members’ commitment to best practices in infant safe sleep, ensuring the highest standards of care for the youngest patients.
Cribs for Kids is a national safe sleep initiative dedicated to reducing infant mortality. By earning this certification, UK Golisano Children’s demonstrated adherence to rigorous guidelines established by the Cribs for Kids National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program.
“Sleep related deaths are the number one reason we lose our babies each year — 3,400 infants annually,” said Michael H. Goodstein, M.D., neonatologist and medical director at Cribs for Kids. “We know that parents do 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.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky’s rate of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) between 2020 and ’24 was 148 per 100,000 births, placing in the top 10 highest rates in the nation. The term SUID is used to describe the sudden and unexpected death of a baby less than 1 year old, often during sleep or in the baby’s sleep area due to accidental suffocation or strangulation in a sleeping environment.
“Keeping Kentucky’s babies safe starts with giving families the best care, education and support from the very beginning,” said Bethany Hodge, M.D., vice chair of Clinical Services and Population Health at UK Golisano Children’s. “This certification reinforces our commitment to safe sleep practices and to helping parents feel confident caring for their newborns.”
“The National Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program launched in 2015; it is rooted in the Safe Sleep Recommendations made by American Academy of Pediatrics and the research that demonstrates families do at home what they see done in the hospital,” said Judy Bannon, CEO, and founder of Cribs for Kids. “There are over 500 infant safe sleep certified hospitals across the country and beyond. We are proud to welcome UK Golisano Children’s to our program. It will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated healthcare professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the healthcare landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.