Jefferson Healthcare receives gold standard award for Breastfeeding Friendly Hospitals
Published 12:01 am Monday, September 7, 2015
PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson Healthcare hospital has been awarded the state’s gold standard for Breastfeeding Friendly Hospitals.
Dr. John Weisman, state secretary of health, presented the award in August to the Port Townsend hospital and four others: Evergreen Health in Kirkland, Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center in Vancouver, Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster and the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.
Mike Glenn, CEO, represented Jefferson Healthcare along with; Joyce Cardinal, chief nursing officer; Amber Hudson, RN and director of the Family Birth Center; and Marie Dressler, hospital board commissioner.
Breastfeeding Friendly Washington Hospitals was launched Aug. 3 as a partnership between the Washington State Hospital Association and the state Department of Health that recognizes hospitals that are taking steps to support breast-feeding.
“We know that babies are more likely to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives if they breast-feed for at least six months,” Wiesman said.
“Hospitals that encourage and support breast-feeding are helping to raise the healthiest next generation,” he added.
“Expectant parents will soon have an easier time finding out how breast-feeding-friendly their local hospital is thanks to the Breastfeeding-Friendly Hospitals program.”
Cassie Sauer of the Washington State Hospital Association said that when proposed legislation to create a “baby-friendly” designation was not approved in 2014, “we committed to working voluntarily to support the program.
“Breast-feeding can be challenging, particularly at first,” she said.
“The information and support mothers and families receive in the hospital can be the difference in successful starts.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast-feeding for nine months reduces a baby’s risk of becoming overweight and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, known as SIDS.
It also protects babies from such illnesses as diarrhea, ear infections, asthma and pneumonia.
For more information, see “Breastfeeding Friendly Washington” under “For Public Health and Healthcare Providers” at www.doh.wa.gov.
For more information on Jefferson Healthcare, see www.jeffersonhealthcare.org.
