Memorial Hospital first in Indiana to send every newborn home with books
Memorial Hospital of South Bend is launching Books from Birth this week, becoming the first hospital in Indiana — and the latest across a select group of hospitals nationwide — to send every newborn home with a starter library of new board books. The program is made possible through a partnership with the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and Book Harvest.
Every baby born at Memorial and discharged from the main hospital or the Beacon Children’s Hospital NICU will take home 10 new board books. This initiative is expected to reach an estimated 2,500 newborns each year, making their first days the beginning of a lifelong relationship with books and fostering a lifetime of flourishing literacy.
“Strong foundations begin early, and research shows how early exposure to books and reading aloud supports brain development, builds language and literacy skills and strengthens the bond between parent and child,” said Sarah Paturalski, interim president, Memorial Hospital. “The positive effects are lasting, and we are incredibly proud to be one of only eight hospitals to launch the program.”
Books from Birth builds on the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County’s longstanding commitment to early literacy and is a natural complement to its work to put books in the hands of babies and young children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
“The Community Foundation has long believed that getting books into the hands of our youngest children is one of the highest-impact investments we can make,” said Rose Meissner, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County. “Together, these programs mean that a child born in St. Joseph County today will be surrounded by books from their very first day and for years to come.”
Founded in Durham, N.C., in 2011, the nonprofit Book Harvest has provided more than 3 million books to families and is internationally recognized for its work to transform children’s literacy. Books from Birth is designed to be universal — reaching every family in a participating hospital on the birthing floor and in the NICU — and built to last, with community partnerships anchoring and sustaining the program.
“Books from Birth is rooted in a simple but powerful conviction: Every child, from their very first breath, deserves to have books in their home,” said Anna Reilly, board chair of Book Harvest, and a catalytic supporter of the launch. “Partnering with Memorial Hospital and the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County allows us to reach every single newborn at Memorial Hospital — no exceptions, no gaps. This is how we build a culture of reading from the ground up.”
