Indianapolis, In. — More than 3,000 babies born in Indiana in February will be decked out in reds hats courtesy of the American Heart Association’s “Little Hats, Big Hearts” program.
American Heart Association staff will deliver the tiny hats to more than 30 hospitals across the state beginning this week. The hats were lovingly hand made by more than 200 volunteers.
February is American Heart Month, and the week of Feb. 7-14 is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and in Indiana, and congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the leading birth defect in newborns. Approximately 1 of every 110 babies is born with a CHD, and 25 percent of those require invasive surgery within the first year.
The Little Hats, Big Hearts program raises awareness about both while offering new parents information about living a heart-healthy life.
Participating hospitals include:
Community Hospital East Indianapolis
Community Hospital North Indianapolis
Community Hospital South Indianapolis
Community Hospital Anderson Anderson
Community Hospital Munster
Community Howard Regional Health Kokomo
Elkhart General Hospital Elkhart
Eskenazi Health Indianapolis
Franciscan Health Crown Point Crown Point
Franciscan Health Hammond Hammond
Franciscan Health Indianapolis Indianapolis
Franciscan Health Michigan City Michigan City
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health Lafayette
Good Samaritan Hospital Vincennes
Goshen Health System Goshen
Hendricks Regional Health Danville
Highpoint Health Lawrenceburg
IU Health Arnett Hospital Lafayette
IU Health West Avon
Major Hospital Shelbyville
Memorial Hospital of South Bend South Bend
Methodist Hospitals Merrillville / Gary
Parkview Health Fort Wayne
Parkview Huntington Hospital Huntington
Parkview LaGrange Hospital LaGrange
Parkview Noble Hospital Kendallville
Parkview Whitley Hospital Columbia City
Porter Regional Hospital Chesterton
Saint Joseph Health System Mishawaka
St. Catherine Hospital East Chicago
St. Mary Medical Center Hobart
St.Vincent Kokomo Kokomo
Union Hospital Terre Haute
Witham Hospital Lebanon
This is the fifth year the American Heart Association has delivered red hats for newborns in February. More than 16,000 babies have received the hats. Volunteers interested in donating materials or knitting or crocheting hats for next year, or hospitals that would like to participate in the program, should call the American Heart Association at (317) 732-4700.
