NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx Celebrates "Baby-Friendly" Status
Clinicians, providers, administrators, community leaders and elected officials celebrate prestigious recognition
Feb 21, 2017
On Wednesday, February 8, 2017, NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx hosted a recognition award ceremony to celebrate their recent designation as a “Baby-Friendly” hospital. The designation is awarded by Baby-Friendly USA, an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) designed to recognize hospitals that encourage and promote breast feeding and mother-baby bonding.
The event also celebrated the positive transformation of the hospital’s Labor and Delivery Service in recent years. In 2016, 1,297 babies were born at NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, and 97% of the babies received mother’s milk.
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx joins NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in being recognized as Baby Friendly, so that all three public hospitals in the Bronx have the important designation.
The Baby-Friendly® initiative encourages hospitals and birthing centers to offer programs and providers that educate and encourage mothers to breastfeed, the best method of feeding for babies. The Baby-Friendly® designation is awarded only after a rigorous on-site survey is completed, and is then reviewed every five years.
Council Member Andy King; NCB COO Cristina Contreras; Adeline Walker, Chair of Bronx Community Board 7; and Council Member Andy Cohen