Two more Ascension hospitals – Providence Health System in Washington, D.C., and Saint Thomas Midtown in Nashville, Tennessee – have been designated Baby-Friendly® in a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). They join eight other Ascension hospitals that have received the designation.
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birth centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother-baby bonding. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative grew out of numerous studies that link breastfeeding in infancy to good health throughout life. The designation is only given after a rigorous on-site survey is completed. Currently there are more than 325 active Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States and more than 20,000 worldwide.
"Providence began this journey to Baby-Friendly designation in 2012, and we have made amazing progress since in supporting breastfeeding as the standard of care for newborn infants and mothers," said Duane Erwin, Interim President and CEO of Providence. "We look forward to being at the forefront as other area hospitals promote breastfeeding and seek their own Baby-Friendly designation."
Providence and Saint Thomas Midtown join the following Ascension hospitals in achieving the Baby-Friendly designation: St. Vincent's Medical Center, Bridgeport, Connecticut; St. Vincent's Medical Center Southside, Jacksonville, Florida; Sacred Heart Hospital of Pensacola, Florida; St. Mary's Hospital for Women and Children, Evansville, Indiana; St. John Hospital & Medical Center, Detroit; two campuses of Providence-Providence Park Hospital in Novi and Southfield, Michigan; and St. John Macomb-Oakland, Warren, Michigan. Two other Ascension ministries – Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas, and Providence Health Center, Waco, Texas – have earned designations from similar state-sponsored programs.
