Saint Joseph London Volunteers Purchase Training Device Aimed at Reducing Child Abuse - Archived

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:
Sharon Hershberger, Director, Public Affairs
606.330.6009 or 606.309.5075
[email protected]

 
Saint Joseph London Volunteers Purchase Training Device Aimed at Reducing Child Abuse

London, Ky. (July 19, 2013)—Saint Joseph London, part of KentuckyOne Health, has a new device to help educate families on Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), a common form of child abuse.

Volunteers at the hospital donated $890 to purchase a Shaken Baby Simulator that has sensors inside the head to detect excessive motion from shaking.  The simulator is being used to provide education to parents who deliver a child at Saint Joseph London. In addition, it will be used in the community to provide education, awareness and prevention.

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a severe form of child abuse that results from the violent or excessive shaking of an infant by the arms, shoulders or legs.  It can occur with as little as five seconds of shaking and can result in a whiplash effect that causes bleeding within the brain or eyes.  Almost all victims of SBS end up with a lifelong health issue, such as hearing loss, brain damage, cerebral palsy, paralysis or blindness.  However, the Centers for Disease Control reported in 2012 that one out of four SBS cases ended in death.

Almost all reported SBS cases are related to inconsolable crying by the infant. In many cases, the caregiver did not intend to harm the child, but reacted in frustration.

“We are blessed to have such great volunteers who are willing to support programs to address the health education needs of our community,” said June Rawlings, Director of Healthy Community Outreach at the hospital.  “I truly believe this simulator will help us to raise awareness about the devastating results of Shaken Baby Syndrome and save lives in communities in Laurel and surrounding counties.”

Saint Joseph London has a state-of-the-art Birthing Center and delivered more than 1,000 babies in 2012.

In addition to the Shaken Baby Simulator, the hospital recently acquired Noelle and Newborn Hal, a neonatal birthing simulator and training device that will help hospital staff practice how to treat and react to a variety of situations that can arise in labor and delivery.  Noelle and Newborn Hal were purchased through a gift from the Saint Joseph London Foundation.
 

About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health was formed when two major Kentucky health care organizations came together in early 2012. KentuckyOne Health combines the Jewish and Catholic heritages of the two former systems – Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System. In late 2012, the organization formed a partnership with the University of Louisville Hospital | James Graham Brown Cancer Center.  The nonprofit system is committed to improving the health of Kentuckians by integrating medical research, education, technology and health care services wherever patients

receive care. KentuckyOne Health has more than 200 locations including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies, with nearly 15,000 employees across the state of Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is the largest health system in Kentucky.

 

###