HealthPark Medical Center received one star in the Florida Quest for Quality Maternity Care Award for its dedication to improvements in quality maternity care. HealthPark Medical Center received this recognition as one of the first hospitals in Florida to prioritize mothers and babies by creating action plans that will improve the quality and support for babies and mothers giving birth within the health system.
The Florida Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc. designed the quality improvement award based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the Baby Friendly USA 4-D Pathway. Hospitals are awarded one star as they achieve each of the five phases in the WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative. Cape Coral Hospital, which delivers over 1,500 babies a year, previously achieved this “one star” recognition.
“Breastfeeding requires practice. We’re here to provide support and guidance so mothers and babies can bond and experience the rewards of it,” says Kathy Bridge-Liles, Vice President of Women’s and Children’s Services at HealthPark Medical Center. “Breastfeeding for any length of time is beneficial, but we hope to better the experience and improve skill to prolong this way of feeding and maximize the benefits.”
This project targets using hospital policy as a strategy to reduce obesity and other chronic diseases by improving optimal infant feeding practices through implementing evidence based maternity care.
According to the CDC National Immunization Survey (2009 birth cohort), 77% of mothers in Florida choose to breastfeed their babies but less than 13% continue to breastfeed exclusively to the recommended 6 months. Studies published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) indicate that hospitals practicing evidence based maternity care, as outlined by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ten Steps have more patients breastfeeding in the hospital with longer durations outside of the hospital.
“The Florida Breastfeeding Coalition is proud to recognize HealthPark Medical Center and award them for their leadership in creating a comprehensive action plan that will improve infant feeding practices to more than 3,500 families in Lee County,” says Joan Younger Meek, MD, President of the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition.