Baby-Friendly USA

Celebrating Boston Medical Center’s 25 Years of Baby-Friendly Designation

Jonathan Small — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:34:18 +0000

Boston Medical Center (BMC), an inner-city, safety net hospital in Boston’s South End, was one of the first facilities in the nation to become Baby-Friendly designated. They were designated before the turn of the century! — in December 1999 — and have sustained their commitment to Baby-Friendly practices ever since. BFUSA recognized this remarkable Read more

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Team Effort at Beverly Hospital Leads to Long-Awaited Baby-Friendly Designation

Jonathan Small — Mon, 05 May 2025 21:37:38 +0000

Anna McNicholas, RN, MSN, CCRN, Nurse Manager and Baby-Friendly Coordinator for Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Massachusetts, didn’t know what to expect when she received a call from Melissa Cho, BFUSA’s Accreditation Director. “It was my day off, but I didn’t want to wait to hear,” says Anna. “I made her repeat it three times before Read more

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Study Finds BFHI Practices Mitigate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Breastfeeding Success

Jonathan Small — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 13:50:55 +0000

In the United States today, the likelihood of a mother receiving the support she needs to meet her breastfeeding goals is heavily influenced by race and ethnicity—with Black and Hispanic mothers about 40% less likely than White mothers to breastfeed for as long as they intend (Hamner et al., 2021). Racial and ethnic disparities in Read more

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Barton Health Gets Across the Baby-Friendly Finish Line

Jonathan Small — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:58:29 +0000

“I received a voicemail on a Friday afternoon from Melissa Cho, the Director of Accreditation at BFUSA, saying, ‘If you have a moment, please give us a call.’ I was afraid she was going to tell me something was wrong, or that we were missing something in our designation process.” That’s how Adam Grey, the Read more

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Hospitals Rated “Best” for Maternity Care Are More Likely To Be Baby-Friendly Designated

Jonathan Small — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 23:07:45 +0000

Utilizing objective measures of quality such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices, and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, U.S. News has published its list of the 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. 139 of the 414 hospitals on the list (34%) are Baby-Friendly designated. Read more

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Celebrating the Facilities Designated and Re-Designated in 2024

Jonathan Small — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 17:19:26 +0000

As we look back on 2024, BFUSA would like to take a moment to celebrate all of the facilities that were either newly designated or re-designated Baby-Friendly this past year. Please join us in congratulating these wonderful facilities. We honor your continued commitment to the highest standards of infant feeding care. Facilities Newly Read more

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Keeping Breastfeeding Traditions Alive in the Zuni Tribe

Jonathan Small — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 15:59:53 +0000

Located in the heart of the Pueblo of Zuni community, the Zuni Comprehensive Community Health Center in Zuni, New Mexico is the primary health care facility for residents of the reservation and beyond. Operated by the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Health Center is a small, resource-challenged facility catering to the unique healthcare needs Read more

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Bronson’s Persistence Pays Off in Pursuit of Baby-Friendly Designation

Jonathan Small — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 21:12:20 +0000

“Third time’s a charm,” says Carol Fuller, RN, the System Director of Nursing for Women/Children’s Services at Bronson Methodist and Bronson Battle Creek Hospitals in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan. She’s speaking about Bronson’s long journey to Baby-Friendly designation, which began in 2013, had two full stops, and finally culminated in both facilities being Read more

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Celebrating Walter Reed’s Re-Designation

Jonathan Small — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 14:54:48 +0000

When Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (the “President’s Hospital”) was redesignated Baby-Friendly for another five years in March of 2024, one member of BFUSA’s staff was particularly pleased to hear the news. Heather Simons, RN, IBCLC, who joined BFUSA as a Clinical Review Specialist in September 2023, had worked as a Read more

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BFUSA Bids Farewell to Becky Fallon

Jonathan Small — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 20:15:19 +0000

Becky Fallon, MSN, who has been with Baby-Friendly for six years, will be retiring in May 2024. BFUSA thanks Becky for her commitment to excellence and dedicated service throughout those years and wishes her well in her retirement. Becky came to BFUSA in January 2018 as a Quality Improvement Manager. She was promoted to Director Read more

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