Community Hospital excels at breastfeeding education
MONTEREY, Calif. – For the third consecutive year, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula has been ranked one of the top-performing hospitals in the state for supporting and assisting new mothers who choose to breastfeed.
In a new report, Community Hospital was fourth among 269 California hospitals in the percentage of mothers who exclusively breastfed their newborns while in the hospital in 2007. Of the 1,248 babies born at Community Hospital last year, 91 percent were nourished solely with breast milk, more than double the statewide average of 43 percent.
Health experts advocate breastfeeding because studies show that it is a low-cost, low-tech way to reduce children's risks for infections and obesity, and for chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. Studies also have found that mothers who breastfeed exclusively while in the hospital, rather than using formula for all or part of their baby's food, are much more likely to continue the practice once they go home.
“It has long been a priority for us to implement policies and practices that encourage breastfeeding,” said Trina Ammar, RN, lactation services coordinator at Community Hospital . “Our efforts include training all staff in skills necessary to help breastfeeding women, making sure breastfeeding is started soon after the baby is born, giving newborns only breast milk while in the hospital unless there is a medical need for something else, and eliminating formula marketing to our patients.”
Community Hospital 's commitment to breastfeeding was previously recognized in 2003, when it was designated a "Baby-Friendly" facility. The Baby-Friendly USA Hospital Initiative is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund. Based on those groups' Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the Baby-Friendly designation is awarded to birth facilities that offer breastfeeding mothers help and information for gaining the skills and confidence needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding. There are only 19 “Baby-Friendly” hospitals in California, and Community Hospital is the only one in the tri-county area.
The breastfeeding report, now in its third year, was produced by the University of California, Davis Human Lactation Center and the California Women, Infants and Children Association. A policy briefing on its findings, county fact sheets, and hospital rankings are available online at www.calwic.org. Click on "Hospital Breastfeeding Report" in the lower right corner.
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula , founded in 1934 and located at 23625 Holman Highway in Monterey, has grown and evolved in direct response to the changing healthcare needs of the people it serves. It is a nonprofit healthcare provider with 205 staffed acute-care hospital beds and 28 skilled-nursing beds, delivering a continuum of care from birth to end of life, and every stage in between. It serves the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding communities through 15 locations, including the main hospital, outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic, a short-term skilled nursing facility, Hospice of the Central Coast , and business offices. Find more information about Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula at www.chomp.org.