HCA Florida Palms West Hospital has launched a new program to inform and equip parents with the knowledge and tools they need to maximize their child’s brain capacity from day one.
Palms West is the first hospital in South Florida to offer Build a Brain, Build a Life, Build a Community, a program that helps educate parents and caregivers about the crucial role they play in helping to develop a child’s brain and the importance of talk and interaction to fuel healthy brain development in the first three years of a child’s life.
“With the knowledge that 85 percent of a baby’s brain is being built in their first three years, we should be teaching parents — who are their child’s first teacher — how important their role is in early brain development,” said Jason L. Kimbrell, CEO of Palms West Hospital “Build a Brain is built on decades of clinical research and studies, and we’re so pleased to be offering this to new parents in our community.”
Build a Brain focuses on parent-child communication and how that affects language and vocabulary development. The goal is to inform parents and caregivers about the role they play, equip them with the knowledge and tools needed, and support them with cutting-edge resources to provide ongoing help.
Parents of all babies born at Palms West will be presented with an eight-minute tutorial video on the importance of early brain development. They are also given a book that details important milestones in the baby’s life and offers suggestions on how to achieve each of these milestones. Additionally, families can sign up for e-mail updates from Build a Brain to continue development. The video and materials are offered in English and Spanish.
“HCA Florida Palms West Hospital is investing in the development of our children — an investment that will pay dividends for generations to come,” Kimbrell said. “We hope that the success of the program at our hospital will encourage other hospitals in our region to get on board to support families from birth through adulthood.”
Build a Brain, Build a Life, Build a Community works with hospitals and community agencies to help educate parents and caregivers about the crucial role they play in helping to develop their child’s brain. Learn more at https://buildabrainnow.com.
