Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has been re-designated as a Baby-Friendly hospital. The designating organization, Baby-Friendly USA, works throughout the United States to uphold standards of optimal care set by the global Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) for breastfeeding-related services and education in hospitals and birthing centers.
The Baby-Friendly designation requires that hospitals educate both clinical and non-clinical staff to the extent that is most appropriate for their department and position. Additionally, they are required to implement policies and provide resources to accommodate healthy breastfeeding practices for new mothers.
“This re-designation attests to the fact that we are continuing to adhere to those standards,” said Marge Lilienthal, Director of Nursing, Behavioral Health, and Women and Children’s Services at Jamaica Hospital. Lilienthal worked with key individuals across a wide variety of departments covering inpatient and outpatient services to coordinate and organize the initiatives responsible for earning the hospital this prestigious designation.
At Jamaica Hospital, adherence to Baby-Friendly USA’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (the broad framework that guides the BFHI) is overseen by the Interdisciplinary Breastfeeding Committee. This group includes nurses, physicians, midwives, and lactation specialists, as well as representation from STORK clinical informatics/IT, professional development, and administrative staff. The committee reviews data on a monthly basis, evaluating current breastfeeding initiatives and implementing corrective actions as needed.
Since first being designated as a Baby-Friendly hospital in 2017, Jamaica Hospital has evolved its approach to breastfeeding-related care. “One of our most significant improvements has been to standardize our approach to breastfeeding and feeding education across the continuum of prenatal and neonatal care,” said Lilienthal. “We also continue to improve our relationship with community agencies, which is very important to the care we provide and to ensuring the continuity of support to our patients and families.”
Jamaica Hospital partners with community agencies to provide additional breastfeeding support to new mothers. Some of these agencies include:
- Chocolate Milk Café
- Baby Café of Brownsville
- Healthy Start
- Public Health Solutions
- New York Lactation Consultant Association
- Citywide Doula Initiative
Additionally, the hospital provides support for breastfeeding mothers through the Jamaica Hospital WIC Program, the Women’s Health Center, and the 24/7 Breastfeeding Warmline, which can be reached at (929) 356-9809.