3,000 Newborns To Receive Red Hats In February

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INDIANAPOLIS. Ind  – More than 3,000 babies born in Indiana in February will be decked out in reds hats courtesy of the American Heart Association’s “Little Hats, Big Hearts” program.

American Heart Association staff will deliver the tiny hats to more than 30 hospitals across the state beginning this week. The hats were lovingly hand made by more than 200 volunteers.

February is American Heart Month, and the week of Feb. 7-14 is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and in Indiana, and congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading birth defect in newborns. Approximately 1 of every 110 babies is born with a CHD, and 25 percent of those require invasive surgery within the first year.

The Little Hats, Big Hearts program raises awareness about both while offering new parents information about living a heart-healthy life.

 

Participating hospitals include:

 

Union Hospital                                                                                  Terre Haute

Community Hospital East                                                              Indianapolis

Community Hospital North                                                           Indianapolis

Community Hospital South                                                           Indianapolis

Community Hospital Anderson                                                      Anderson

Community Hospital                                                                        Munster

Community Howard Regional Health                                            Kokomo

Elkhart General Hospital                                                                 Elkhart

Eskenazi Health                                                                       Indianapolis

Franciscan Health Crown Point                                            Crown Point

Franciscan Health Hammond                                                      Hammond

Franciscan Health Indianapolis                                                      Indianapolis

Franciscan Health Michigan City                                         Michigan City

Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health                                                    Lafayette

Good Samaritan Hospital                                                              Vincennes

Goshen Health System                                                                  Goshen

Hendricks Regional Health                                                            Danville

Highpoint Health                                                                      Lawrenceburg

U Health Arnett Hospital                                                              Lafayette

IU Health West                                                                              Avon

Major Hospital                                                                               Shelbyville

Memorial Hospital of South Bend                                             South Bend

Methodist Hospitals                                                              Merrillville / Gary

Parkview Health                                                                           Fort Wayne

Parkview Huntington Hospital                                                       Huntington

Parkview LaGrange Hospital                                                        LaGrange

Parkview Noble Hospital                                                               Kendallville

Parkview Whitley Hospital                                                            Columbia City

Porter Regional Hospital                                                               Chesterton

Saint Joseph Health System                                                         Mishawaka

St. Catherine Hospital                                                                     East Chicago

St. Mary Medical Center                                                               Hobart

St.Vincent Kokomo                                                                         Kokomo

Witham Hospital                                                                               Lebanon

 

This is the fifth year the American Heart Association has delivered red hats for newborns in February. More than 16,000 babies have received the hats. Volunteers interested in donating materials or knitting or crocheting hats for next year, or hospitals that would like to participate in the program, should call the American Heart Association at (317) 732-4700.