Napoleon, Ohio – Henry County Hospital, along with other maternity
centers in Ohio, is taking steps
[1].jpg)
to promote its support of successful breastfeeding. The
Ohio First Steps for Healthy Babies is a voluntary breastfeeding designation program through the Ohio Hospital
Association and Ohio Department of Health that recognizes maternity centers
in Ohio for taking steps to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding
in their organization. In partnership with the Ohio Breastfeeding Alliance
and the Ohio Lactation Consultants Association, the
Ohio First Steps program is recognizing facilities with the “Maternity Care Best Practice
Award” for 2016. This recognition indicates a facility’s commitment
to best practices by choosing to not distribute infant formula or formula
company-sponsored sample packs.
In addition to this commitment, Henry County Hospital is providing information
and hospital practices supportive of breastfeeding and the
Ohio First Steps for Healthy Babies program. These resources are available by calling Andrea Faykosh, RN,
CLS, Maternal Educator at Henry County Hospital at 419-591-4765 and at
www.ohiohospitals.org/ohiobagfree.
“It is our hope that
Ohio First Steps for Healthy Babies will prompt our leaders and employees to have thoughtful conversations
in the hospitals about the benefits of breastfeeding in order to educate
patients and the community,” said Andrea Faykosh, RN, CLS. “The
support a new mother receives from hospital employees and leaders can
impact her decision to breastfeed. Increasing the number of breastfed
newborns can lead to a decrease in the likelihood for future health conditions
for the child such as asthma, diabetes and obesity.”
For more information about
Ohio First Steps for Healthy Babies, please visit,
http://ohiohospitals.org/ohiofirststeps
