Babies’ Health
Comes First at Providence Holy Cross
Medical Center
Bucking a national trend that finds most U.S. hospitals fail
when it comes to promoting breast-feeding, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
is among the top hospitals in the country for encouraging new mothers to breast
feed their babies.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued this
week its first ever report on the issue, and found the average hospital scored
just 63 on a 100-point test of their policies in encouraging breast-feeding.
About a quarter of hospitals nationwide bottle-fed babies in their nurseries
even when the mothers were willing to breast-feed.
On the other end of the spectrum is Providence Holy Cross, where
95 percent of new moms have begun breast feeding their babies by the time they
leave the hospital, said Sherri Mendelson, a registered nurse and lactation
consultant.
Holy Cross was among just 59 hospitals in the nation designated
"Baby-Friendly" last August by Baby-Friendly USA, under a global
program sponsored by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s
Fund to promote breast-feeding.
In fact, the Mission Hills medical center was the only hospital
in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, Simi and Antelope valleys to receive the
designation.
“Holy Cross has made a concerted effort since 2004 to promote
and support breast-feeding to improve the health of our entire community,”
Mendelson said.
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative recognizes hospitals that
provide an optimal level of care and information for breastfeeding mothers.
Breast-feeding is widely accepted as the best nutrition for
babies. Breast milk contains antibodies that protect newborns from infections,
contributes to an infant’s – and mother’s – general health.
The CDC study found some hospitals supplemented formula with
water or sugar water, a common practice to quiet a crying baby.
“It is unfortunate that in many of the hospitals across the
country health care providers are not making that effort to promote
breast-feeding and its extensive health benefits for mothers and babies,”
Mendelson said.
By contrast, Providence Holy Cross has a lactation team that
offers a new parent education service, which includes round-the-clock
breastfeeding support services, as well as pump rentals and prenatal education.
Holy Cross was able to augment this effort using a grant from
the California Department of Public Health’s Birth and Beyond program. The
grant was used to train 20 staff members to work with new mothers to help meet a
state goal to increase breast-feeding rates in hospitals.
Glendale Memorial Hospital and
Health Center
Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center was the only other
hospital in our area that made it on to the the current list of 63
US Baby-Friendly Hospitals and Birth Centers (as of February
2008).
