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| (L-R) Laureen Goodridge, RN, Director, Harlem Hospital Center and Generations+/Northern Manhattan Network Nursing Departments; Alison Benjamin, RN; Dr. Edgar Mandeville; Elis’sa Worrell, RN, Harlem Hospital Center with son Joshua; Dr. Benjamin Mojica; Dr. Lorraine Boyd, Medical Director, Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health, NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene; Executive Director Dr. John Palmer |
Every new mom for the more than 1,100 babies born at Harlem Hospital Center each year knows well how baby friendly the hospital is. Now the hospital is getting official and global recognition for its commitment to infant health with the coveted “Baby Friendly” designation by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Harlem Hospital is in fact the first hospital in New York City to win the coveted "Baby Friendly" certification for its comprehensive approach to support breastfeeding of newborns. The certification comes from Baby-Friendly USA, sponsored by the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Worldwide, more than 19,000 maternity facilities have received the Baby Friendly designation, but only 64 U.S. facilities have been certified.
"We want to do all we can to improve the health of the littlest New Yorkers and encourage the use of mother’s milk for the nearly 22,000 babies born in our hospitals each year," said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. "We look forward to having more of our hospitals achieve the same international recognitionfor encouraging and supporting breastfeeding as Harlem Hospital Center."
In 2007, Harlem Hospital Center delivered 1,148 babies and in the first quarter of 2008 81% of mothers who delivered at Harlem were breastfeeding their babies when they left the hospital.
The global Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative selects hospitals and birthing centers that follow the recommended 10 steps of a comprehensive breastfeeding program. The steps include limits on baby formula, starting breastfeeding in the first hour of life, keeping mothers and babies in the same room, and providing support groups for women who breastfeed.
The health benefits of breastfeeding exclusively for the first 6 months of an infant's life include a reduction in infectious diseases and mortality during infancy, improved bonding, and postpartum maternal weight loss. Breastfeeding also helps reduce the risks of common childhood infections, asthma, diabetes and other conditions that children who get mother’s milk are less likely to develop. It saves time and money for families in both baby formula and medical costs. An estimated $2.16 billion dollars could be saved annually in the United States if women exclusively breastfeed for just 12 weeks after delivery.
"Harlem Hospital Center is pleased and proud to have earned the internationally recognized designation as a Baby-Friendly Hospital. This designation confirms our commitment to supporting a mother's decision to breastfeed," said John Palmer PhD, Executive Director, Harlem Hospital Center. "We welcome this wonderful opportunity to promote breastfeeding and ultimately help reduce the risks of common childhood infections, asthma, and diabetes."
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