St. Joseph’s Health Receives “Baby-Friendly” Designation

Syracuse, NY (November 5, 2019) – St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.

This honor demonstrates that St. Joseph’s Health Hospital is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.

“St. Joseph’s Health has long been a recognized leader in the care of women and newborns. We continue to earn the Baby Friendly designation because we provide education to enable families to make informed decisions about infant feeding, encourage mothers to hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately following birth, and offer expert lactation support throughout and beyond the hospital stay,” said Leslie Paul Luke, president and CEO at St. Joseph’s Health.

Luke continued: “We are committed to ensuring every woman who delivers a baby here is given the resources, information and support needed to help her and her baby get the best, healthiest start in life – including resources to successfully initiate breastfeeding and continue breastfeeding when they leave our care.”

Fast Facts:

• St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has the highest number of lactation consultants of any Syracuse hospital.

• At St. Joseph’s Health Hospital, babies are placed skin to skin with mom at delivery, and as long as the baby is healthy, the routine newborn exam is delayed to allow parents time to bond with their new baby. It also provides mothers who are breastfeeding the opportunity to give baby its first feeding.

• St. Joseph’s Breastfeeding Support Center is available seven days a week. And the Lactation Support Program isn’t just for patients – St. Joseph’s has breastfeeding rooms and lactation support for employees, too.

The positive health effects of breastfeeding are well documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world. For example, the Surgeon General’s 2011 Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding stated that “Breast milk is uniquely suited to the human infant’s nutritional needs and is a live substance with unparalleled immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that protect against a host of illnesses and diseases for both mothers and children.”

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital joins a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, 587 of which are in the United States. These facilities provide an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a regional non-profit health care system based in Syracuse, NY. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph's Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. St. Joseph’s is ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, a designated Stroke Center and a U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital.” St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians, and is a member of Trinity Health. St. Joseph’s Health is celebrating our 150^th Anniversary throughout 2019. For more information on our founding Sisters of St. Francis including Saint Marianne Cope, our legacy and our innovations, visit www.sjhsyr.org/legacy.

About Baby-Friendly USA

As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA is responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care by coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the US. Learn more about Baby-Friendly USA and the BFHI at www.babyfriendlyusa.org.