Kaleida Health, Buffalo Sabres to welcome first babies of 2015

"Future No. 1 draft picks" all get new HALO SleepSack aimed at infant safety

Kaleida Health is making sure all babies born at its two birthing hospitals are sent home with information and a product to ensure safe sleep.

Partnering with the Buffalo Sabres, Kaleida Health is gifting all newborns with a HALO SleepSack Swaddle, which replaces loose blankets in the crib. The gift also includes safe sleep information that is part of HALO's "Safer Way to Sleep" initiative available to hospitals as well as a certificate signed by the Sabres owner, Terry Pegula.

"We are always looking for new ways to improve our quality of care and safety for patients, and our partnership with the Buffalo Sabres to give all newborns a HALO SleepSack Swaddle helps new parents create a safe sleep environment at home," said Jody L. Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health. "Over 5,000 families will benefit from this great partnership and initiative."

Lomeo and Sabres President Ted Black will launch the initiative on New Year's Day at Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo (10:30 a.m.), with the first babies of 2015.

"It's very special for our organization to be a part of such an important and intimate moment for the families of these newborns," Black said. "The Sabres share a great bond with this community, and it's our hope that this program helps to strengthen that bond and usher in a new generation of Sabres fans. We're always proud to partner with Kaleida Health, especially to help promote a critical issue like infant sleep safety."

Kaleida Health and the Sabres have worked together to ensure every baby born at Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital has the opportunity to take his or her own HALO SleepSack Swaddle home, along with a packet of information for new parents about important safe sleep practices, and a signed certificate from the Buffalo Sabres.

HALO SleepSack wearable blankets are also available for purchase in the hospital gift shops at a discounted price.

Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital deliver more than 5,000 babies annually.

"We are proud to once again partner with the Buffalo Sabres on this exciting initiative for our moms and newborns," said Allegra Jaros, president of the Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo. "This is a great way to welcome each and every one of them to our team and continue to educate our families on the importance of safe sleep for babies."

"We are so grateful to once again partner with the Buffalo Sabres on this very important safety initiative for our community," said Chris Lane, president of Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. "These SleepSacks our newborns are bringing home will allow us to better educate parents on safe sleep practices for their newborn child."

"HALO Innovations is pleased to partner with Kaleida Health and the Buffalo Sabres to provide a product that keeps sleeping babies safe, gives parents peace of mind, and makes safe swaddling of newborns easier," said Bill Schmid, founder of HALO Innovations. "Our mission is to significantly decrease the number of babies lost to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each year, and we believe our HALO SleepSack wearable blankets, along with education on safe sleep practices, are helping fight this battle."

More than 1,300 hospitals across the country are currently using HALO SleepSack wearable blankets in neonatal units or nurseries, gifting them to new moms or selling the product in hospital gift shops.

For more information about Kaleida Health's labor and delivery program, log on to http://www.buffalobaby.org/.

Kaleida Health, the official health care system of the Buffalo Sabres, is the largest health care provider and largest private employer in Western New York. More than 1 million patient visits are recorded annually at the Buffalo General Medical Center, DeGraff Memorial Hospital, Gates Vascular Institute, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, plus the health system's 90 clinics and health care centers.

Kaleida Health operates HighPointe on Michigan and the DeGraff Memorial Hospital skilled nursing facility, plus the nation's oldest - and original - Visiting Nursing Association. Kaleida Health also operates a major laboratory division, as well as the Millard Fillmore Ambulatory Surgery Center. The organization is affiliated with Great Lakes Health, the entity integrating Kaleida Health, Erie County Medical Center Corp. and the University at Buffalo.

Kaleida Health's economic impact on Western New York exceeds $2.2 billion annually.