Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC)
The Kentucky Hospital Association, in partnership with the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC) and Vermont Oxford Network (VON), is thrilled to be supporting a state-wide initiative for all Kentucky birthing hospitals. This initiative is aimed at improving outcomes for infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) and their families.
The initiative is called Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC). ESC is an approach to caring for infants with NOWS that prioritizes non-pharmaceutical interventions to provide optimal care for the baby. In a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) involving a multi-center randomized controlled trial, results showed that infants assessed and managed with the ESC care approach have improved outcomes when compared to those managed with usual institutional care. These outcomes included drastically reduced length of hospital stays, significant increase in proportion of infants fed maternal breastmilk during hospitalization, and a decrease in postnatal opioid exposure for the infants.
At this time, we would like to extend an opportunity for any of our member birthing hospitals in Kentucky to engage in ESC care training and the dissemination program at no cost, as this initiative is being sponsored by KHA. This training will provide your hospital with all the tools necessary to support infants with NOWS and to keep mothers or supportive care persons and infants together during the newborn hospitalization and yield the best possible results for babies across our Commonwealth.
More details regarding this opportunity are on the form below, which you and your team may complete in order to take advantage of the ESC program and all it has to offer. We look forward to engaging with you in this crucial work!
Questions may be directed to Casey Franklin, Associate Vice President of Quality and Health Professions at KHA, via email: cfranklin@kyha.com.
