FOR RELEASE (PHOTO ATTACHED):
October 18, 2011
Recession Impacts Youngest CitizensCatawba Valley Medical Center Knits Over 400 Caps for New Parents
HICKORY, NC— If you think babies aren’t impacted by the recession,
think again. A study published in the October 2011 issue of
Pediatrics highlights the fact that the economic downturn can have dangerous, even
fatal consequences for infants. A group of researchers, headed by Dr.
Rachel Berger at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, showed a significant
rise in the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma (SBS/AHT)
since the start of the recession in 2007. Frustration with a baby’s
crying is the number one trigger for the violent shaking that can result
in SBS/AHT. The added stress placed on families during hard economic times
can make handling a crying infant overwhelming. That makes prevention
efforts even more important during the current recession.
To help parents of newborns deal with the inevitable stress brought on
by their baby’s inconsolable crying, hospitals are responding by
educating parents about the Period of PURPLE Crying. This describes a
stage when normal, perfectly healthy babies can cry for five hours a day
or more. Since January 2009, over 800 hospitals and organizations have
implemented the program.
Catawba Valley Medical Center volunteers assisted in rolling out the program
by knitting over 400 purple caps, which will be distributed to new parents
during the month of November. According to Polly Shook, CVMC Auxiliary
President, “The purple caps are designed to remind new parents that
it’s normal for their new baby to cry without explanation during
the developmental stage from around two weeks to four months. Although
frustrating for parents and other caregivers, the program is designed
to let them know that what they are experiencing is normal and will pass.”
For more information about Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma or
about the Purple Caps program, visit
http://www.dontshake.org or
http://www.purplecrying.info.
Catawba Valley Medical Center in Hickory, N.C., is the region’s largest
not-for-profit, public healthcare system and serves the community without
direct funding from taxes. CVMC provides and promotes physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual well-being of the public in addition to serving
as a center for health education, wellness services, preventive medicine
and acute care. CVMC has received three Magnet designations from the American
Nurses Credentialing Center and has been recognized for providing “An
Outstanding Inpatient Experience” for a fourth consecutive year
by J.D. Power and Associates. For more information, please visithttp://www.catawbavalleymedical.org.