Bridgeport Hospital supports community diaper drive

Diapers are a basic need for infants, babies, and toddlers. They are just as essential to their health and wellbeing as food and shelter. Nearly one in three families struggle to afford diapers to keep their babies clean, dry and healthy, according to the Diaper Bank of Connecticut.

Donations were made to the following organizations:

• Bridgeport Hospital – Center for Family Justice – 3,600 diapers

• Greenwich Hospital – Neighbor-to-Neighbor and the Carver Center – 3,240 diapers

• Lawrence + Memorial Hospital – Thames Valley Council for Community Action/WIC – 2,995 diapers and 1,068 wipes

• Westerly Hospital – Jonnycake Center, Westerly, RI, and Pantry on the Lane, Bradford, RI – 1,630 diapers

• Bridgeport Hospital – Milford Campus and Yale New Haven Hospital – Diaper Bank of CT – 6,385 diapers, plus donations of more than $5,700, enough to purchase approximately 34,000 additional diapers.

Parents often are forced to choose between paying for food or buying diapers, and the stress of a decision like that takes a toll on the entire family. According to the Diaper Bank, Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) do not cover the cost of diapers.

Some parents have no choice but to leave their baby in a soiled diaper for extended periods or even reuse previously soiled diapers, which increases the risk of urinary tract infections, hepatitis, and severe diaper rash.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org