FIRST 5 LA AWARDS BEST START BABY-FRIENDLY HOSPITAL GRANTSMarch 23, 2010 |
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| LOS ANGELES----------- Funded through its $10.5 million hospital-based project to improve Los Angeles County's low breastfeeding rates, First 5 LA today awarded seven grants to encourage and support breastfeeding policies and procedures. The hospitals selected for funding under the five-year Best Start Baby-Friendly Hospital project are: St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, Hollywood Presbyterian, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, Monterey Park Hospital, White Memorial Medical Center near downtown, East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital and San Gabriel Valley Medical Center in San Gabriel. Grants are for amounts ranging up to $473,000 per hospital over the course of three years, with an intended start day of May 1. California Hospital Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles currently is implementing a Baby-Friendly Hospital pilot project with an existing grant from First 5 LA. "This is a huge step forward for breastfeeding in Los Angeles County," said Evelyn V. Martinez, executive director of First 5 LA. "The awards will help new mothers get the support they need from the start in order to reach their own breastfeeding goals." Multiple studies have shown that maternity care makes a huge difference for breastfeeding success, and hospitals are the only source of breastfeeding support and education for many women. Unfortunately, rates for breastfeeding are exceptionally low in Los Angeles County, which has a rate of 24.1 percent, compared with a breastfeeding rate of 42.7 percent statewide. "All of the studies show that mothers benefit greatly from having full knowledge of the significant advantages of breastfeeding their newborn babies," Martinez said. "We must do what we can to increase that knowledge and hopefully improve the breastfeeding rates, and the best place to start is with the hospitals." Under the direction of First 5 LA, a child advocacy and public grant-making organization, the Best Start Baby-Friendly Hospital Project will provide operational support to hospitals that seek the Baby-Friendly Hospital designation, which is a prestigious recognition of hospitals and birthing centers that have met rigorous standards and offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. To earn the "Baby Friendly Hospital" award, facilities must show that they have adopted certain practices to support successful breastfeeding. Currently, only 86 designated Baby-Friendly hospitals exist in the U.S, with about 19,000 worldwide. The designation is awarded by Baby-Friendly USA, a component of a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, which recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. Many of these practices also help to promote bonding between mothers and babies regardless of feeding choice, enabling all mothers and babies to benefit from the baby-friendly care. Trish MacEnroe, president of Baby-Friendly USA, Inc, congratulated the seven Best Start Baby-Friendly Hospital Project grant awardees. "These hospitals have all taken a giant step forward towards providing world class maternity care," MacEnroe said. "We are pleased that they are willing to undertake a thorough review of their current practices and make the necessary modifications to support breastfeeding mothers and provide them with the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies." According to Dr. Conrado Barzaga, program officer and leader of Baby-Friendly Hospital efforts at First 5 LA, the project focuses on a range of activities, including outreach to hospitals to address breastfeeding policies through a collaborative effort involving managed care health plans and L.A. County's Department of Public Health. Research shows breastfeeding benefits both mothers and their babies. It also provides a significant cost savings for the health care system and employers. Studies point out that breastfeeding improves health outcomes by reducing children's risks for acute infections and sudden infant death syndrome, as well as chronic diseases including asthma, diabetes and obesity. Research also indicates that women who breastfeed may have lower rates of diabetes and breast or ovarian cancers. "What happens in the hospital or birth center plays a crucial role in establishing breastfeeding and helping mothers continue to breastfeed after leaving the facility," Barzaga said. "However, some hospitals are not providing maternity care that is fully supportive." In a major step forward for public health, the group that accredits U.S. hospitals will start holding maternity hospitals accountable for the quality of care they provide to breastfeeding mothers and babies. The exclusive breastfeeding measure was pioneered as part of a quality improvement effort in California, where public health officials found significant differences in exclusive breastfeeding rates from hospital to hospital. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Project is a key component of a First 5 LA initiative called Best Start, a place-based investment to create and coordinate local resources and support systems for young children and their families in the communities in which they live. |
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