The Province of Prince Edward Island has received international recognition for its province-wide implementation of the Period of PURPLE Crying® program says Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie.
“The Period of PURPLE Crying® is a prevention program designed to educate parents and caregivers about the normal patterns of infant crying, to anticipate this behaviour and to safely respond to a crying infant,” said Minister Currie. “Since introducing the Period of PURPLE Crying® program province-wide last November, we have been able to ensure that all parents and caregivers of newborns have received training both in hospital and at home.”
The Period of PURPLE Crying® program includes an information booklet and 10-minute DVD watched by both parents during their stay at the maternity ward. Nurses then discuss the program and answer any questions that may arise. Health PEI’s Public Health Nursing also reviews the program with new parents during their home visit and provides another opportunity to discuss and respond to questions. Community Services and Senior’s Child Protection staff also reinforce the program with families. The DVD also contains a 17-minute video that demonstrates coping and soothing techniques. This bonus video is an extremely valuable resource to all caregivers and reinforces safe practices when soothing infants.
The Period of PURPLE Crying® program has been implemented in over 1,200 hospitals and organizations in 49 states, eight Canadian provinces and one Territory.
Prince Edward Island is only the second province to implement the Period of PURPLE Crying® program province-wide. The Department of Health and Wellness has funded the program through the Chief Public Health Office’s Reproductive Care Program.
“It is an honour to officially recognize Prince Edward Island for their wonderful efforts to help parents and their babies in this province,” said Marilyn Barr, Founder and Executive Director of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. “Prince Edward Island is the only jurisdiction to provide the program to almost 100% of the parents and this is a remarkable accomplishment.”
Since Prince Edward Island has implemented the Period of PURPLE Crying® program, various community groups, knitting clubs and Island crafters have helped raise awareness of the program by knitting or crocheting purple hats and donating them to the QEH and PCH maternity wards.
“The birth of an infant is a joyful event, but coping with normal infant crying can be frustrating and stressful for parents and caregivers. The Period of PURPLE Crying® program provides many strategies to parents and caregivers to give them the confidence to manage this normal but challenging time in an infant’s life,” said Valerie E Docherty, Minister of Community Services and Seniors. “I extend my sincere thanks to the many Island knitters and crocheters who made over 1,450 beautiful purple caps for newborns to promote this program. This program is truly an inspiring example of collaboration at a number of levels.”
“The successful implementation of this important program within our province could not have been done without the dedication, commitment and teamwork of our implementation committee, Health PEI’s nursing staff and the work of Child Protection Services and the countless community volunteers,” said Minister Currie. “This initiative is a wonderful example of community and government working together to support parents and caregivers to ensure that all newborns are healthy and safe.”
For more information on the program, visit www.gov.pe.ca/health/purplecrying