UCF Lake Nona Hospital, a part of HCA Florida Healthcare, is honored to announce it has achieved certification as a Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital. This certification recognizes the hospital’s team members’ commitment to best practices in infant safe sleep, ensuring the highest standards of care for its youngest patients. By earning this certification, UCF Lake Nona Hospital demonstrates adherence to rigorous guidelines established by the Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, including the ABCs of safe sleep – Alone on my Back in a Crib.

“Our team has worked diligently to meet the requirements to earn this certification, which underscores our dedication to providing safe sleep care for our babies,” said Wendy Brandon, chief executive officer of UCF Lake Nona Hospital. “We are committed to ensuring that every newborn and infant at UCF Lake Nona Hospital receives the highest level of care, including demonstrating safe sleep practices for our new parents that align with the guidelines of Cribs for Kids®.”

Cribs for Kids® is a national safe sleep initiative dedicated to reducing infant sleep-related deaths, including SIDS and suffocation. Safe sleep guidance includes:

• Back to sleep – place baby on their back to sleep for every sleep.
• Safe sleep space – place baby on a firm, flat mattress in a safety-approved crib, bassinet or play yard for every sleep.
• Nothing in crib – remove everything from baby’s safe sleep space except for a tightly fitted sheet and pacifier.  

“Sleep-related deaths are the No. 1 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.”

The National Infant Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program launched in 2015, rooted in the Safe Sleep Recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“There are over 500 infant safe sleep certified hospitals across the country and beyond,” said Judy Bannon, CEO, and founder of Cribs for Kids. “We are proud to welcome UCF Lake Nona Hospital to our program. It will have a profound effect on saving babies’ lives.”

For more information about Cribs for Kids® National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program, visit cribsforkids.org/hospitalcertification. For more information about healthcare near you, including labor and delivery services, please visit hcafloridahealthcare.com.

About UCF Lake Nona Hospital
Located in the heart of Orlando’s Medical City, UCF Lake Nona Hospital, a part of HCA Florida Healthcare, is a 64-bed, full-service medical and surgical acute care hospital serving Lake Nona and surrounding communities in Orange and Osceola counties. UCF Lake Nona Hospital offers 24/7 emergency care, boutique family birthing units, inpatient and outpatient surgery including minimally invasive and robotic technology, oncology, diagnostic imaging, weight loss surgery, laboratory services and a cardiac catheterization lab. The hospital employs the latest innovative solutions and life-saving technology, including non-invasive focused ultrasound incisionless brain surgery for the treatment of debilitating tremors and Parkinson’s disease. UCF Lake Nona Hospital is a partnership between the University of Central Florida and HCA Healthcare.

About HCA Florida Healthcare 

HCA Florida Healthcare, a part of HCA Healthcare, is a family of more than 650 affiliated sites of care, including hospitals, physician practices, freestanding emergency rooms and urgent care centers. As one of the state’s leading healthcare networks, HCA Florida Healthcare’s 11,100 experienced doctors and more than 84,000 colleagues work together to deliver equitable, evidence-based collaborative care through more than 12 million patient encounters annually. HCA Florida Healthcare is committed to improving more lives in more ways and giving back to the communities it serves. In 2024, the network provided more than $1 billion in uncompensated care and contributed more than $3.7 million to community organizations across the state. In addition, HCA Florida Healthcare offers patients access to highly trained specialists, including the state’s most comprehensive cardiovascular network. A strong advocate for the next generation of healthcare professionals, HCA Florida Healthcare is a leader in training future healthcare professionals, offering 151 Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs at 27 different hospitals with more than 2,400 residents. For more information, please visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com.