WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (February 12, 2016) – White Plains Hospital and the American Heart Association have partnered to raise awareness for congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect in the country, through the “Little Hats, Big Hearts” program. As part of the partnership, every baby born at White Plains Hospital during February (Heart Month) is receiving a little red hat.
Congenital heart defects are structural problems with the heart present at birth. They result when a mishap occurs during heart development soon after conception and often before the mother is aware that she is pregnant. Defects range in severity from simple problems, such as "holes" between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, such as complete absence of one or more chambers or valves.
The AHA put a call out to knitting and crocheting enthusiasts in December, and little red hats came pouring in from all over the region. Some parents of children born with congenital heart defects sent hats in, as well. Some donated hats in memory of those lost to heart defects.
According to Jay Lupin, MD, Director, Obstetrics & Gynecology, “We are pleased to be working together with the American Heart Association to raise awareness of congenital heart defects in newborns. We are always striving to find new ways to raise awareness of maternal and infant health issues, and to implement best practices to support the reduction of birth defects and increase the health of infants and new mothers.”
White Plains Hospital provides a full range of maternity services in a state-of–the-art, comfortable environment. The Hospital’s maternity team has a full range of experts, including obstetricians, anesthesiologists, neonatologists, and award-winning nurses. The Hospital also has a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, one of the most advanced in the region, with board-certified neonatologists and nurses who specialize in neonatal care. A brand-new new maternity wing is slated to open in spring 2016, featuring all private, spacious Labor & Delivery suites.
The American Heart Association is committed to raising awareness for CHD, and helping children live stronger lives through education, research and public policies. In fact, the organization’s funding for pediatric cardiac research is second only to the federal government. Thanks to AHA advocacy, laws were passed in CT and NYS to ensure that every baby born receives pulse-oximetry testing, which can help identify heart defects immediately after birth. The AHA also creates guidelines for caregivers and medical professionals in infant and child CPR and trains parents in CPR as well.
More information about the Little Hats, Big Heart program is online at http://bit.ly/HVLittleRedHats. Learn more about congenital heart defects at www.heart.org/CHD. Parents of children with CHD may find support online at the AHA’s new Support Network at http://supportnetwork.heart.org/
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital (WPH) is a 292-bed not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Dickstein Cancer Center, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospital’s Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, seeing nearly 57,000 visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, M.D. Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital also has outpatient medical facilities in Armonk and New Rochelle. The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital is also an eleven-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nation’s top hospitals by the National Research Corporation, and received Magnet® designation in 2012 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). In 2014 White Plains Hospital received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades®, given to only 5% of hospitals nationwide. White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System. For additional information, visit http://www.wphospital.org.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit www.heart.org or call any of our offices around the country.