Ohio Valley Medical Center Becomes a Baby Friendly Designated Hospital
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Baby-Friendly USA, announces that Ohio Valley Medical Center has received prestigious international recognition as a Designated Baby-Friendly birth facility. OVMC is the only hospital in the Ohio Valley Region to hold this designation.
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc is the U.S. authority for the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities that offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.
Janet Medovic, RN, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Women’s Services Interim Nurse Manager at OVMC said this prestigious recognition was hard earned and means the staff strictly follows the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”.
“The most important aspect of it is rooming in, doing skin-to-skin for all babies, educating moms about how to breastfeed prenatally and after delivery, educating formula feeding moms how to properly prepare formula and feed their babies. Also, educating all of your staff and physicians about breastfeeding is very important.”
There are more than 20,000 designated Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers worldwide. Currently, there are 534 active Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States. The “Baby-Friendly” re-designation is given after a rigorous on-site survey is completed. The award is maintained by continuing to practice the Ten Steps as demonstrated by quality processes.
“Achieving this designation has been a lot of work. Our staff has put in the time and effort to become a Baby-Friendly facility,” said Medovic. “It’s just an honor to be one of the first hospitals in the state of West Virginia to provide expert, evidence-based care for new parents of the Ohio Valley.”