Piedmont Columbus Regional has named Marie Amos with the Safe Sleep Committee the organization’s First Friday Hero for the month of December.

Marie was recently honored with the Safe Sleep Advocate Award from the Georgia Safe to Sleep Campaign. The statewide initiative is designed to raise awareness about sleep-related infant deaths and evidence-based sleep practices.

We recognize Marie for her dedication to protecting infants in the Chattahoochee Valley and her work in providing tools and resources to parents on safe sleep environments for their kids. Additionally, Marie educates parents who receive a free portable crib through a program sponsored by Safe Kids Columbus in partnership with the Columbus Heath Department.

Unintentional suffocation is the leading cause of infant injury death in the United States. Accidental suffocation and strangulation in unsafe sleeping environments are responsible for 82 percent of these deaths, all of which are preventable.

It’s important to know the ABCs of safe sleep:

• A: Alone (babies need their own sleep space)
• B: Back (babies sleep safest on their backs- back is best)
• C: Crib (babies need a firm mattress with a tight-fitting bottom sheet with nothing else in the crib)

A ceremony with Amos and hospital leadership will be held at a later date to commend her for her response. Her story is also featured throughout the hospital on commemorative posters and on Piedmont Columbus Regional’s social media pages.

Piedmont Columbus Regional created the First Friday Hero program in mid-2016 to recognize first responders each month who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Their line of work is often a thankless job and we want to make the community aware of our local heroes and all they do to make Columbus a better and safer place.