Helping Babies Survive (HBS) is a suite of evidence-based educational training programs developed by the AAP to reduce neonatal mortality in resource-limited environments. The HBS initiative consists of three programs -- Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), Essential Care for Every Baby (ECEB) and Essential Care for Small Babies (ECSB) -- that together address the three leading global causes of preventab
le neonatal deaths.
-HBB trains birth attendants in essential neonatal resuscitation techniques and newborn care skills that can help save the lives of the approximately 10 million babies born each year who need assistance breathing at birth.
-ECEB teaches health providers essential newborn care practices to keep all babies healthy from the time of birth to discharge from the facility, with a special focus on areas that are most critical to newborn survival: initiating breastfeeding, preventing and managing infections, and recognizing danger signs.
-ECSB provides education on the essential skills necessary to care for preterm and low birthweight babies, emphasizing vital practices that ensure small babies remain well and thrive: supporting feeding, maintaining warmth, preventing and managing infections, identifying and responding promptly to danger signs, and preparing families to properly care for their small baby at home. Our Partners
HBS is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics in collaboration with many global partners, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Saving Newborn Lives/Save the Children, Laerdal Global Health, and Johnson & Johnson. The curriculum was developed with input from the World Health Organization (WHO). All this is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from the Laerdal Foundation for Acute Medicine, and support from Latter-day Saint Charities.
