Good Samaritan Medical Center Receives Prestigious Baby-Friendly Designation
Good Samaritan Medical Center of Lafayette, Colorado is proud to announce that it 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 distinguished honor demonstrates that The Baby Place of Good Samaritan adheres 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 Children's Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.
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.”
Good Samaritan Medical Center was the first hospital in Colorado to earn this distinction and now is on a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, 603 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.
“The hospital experience strongly influences a mother’s ability to start and continue breastfeeding,” said Tonya Chapin, Director of The Baby Place. “We are committed to implementing evidence-based care through the Baby-Friendly designation to ensure that mothers delivering in our facility who intend to breastfeed, as well as those who cannot or decide not to breastfeed, are fully supported.”
In addition to being Colorado’s first hospital to be a designated Baby-Friendly Hospital, Good Samaritan has been ranked “high-performing” in maternity care by U.S. News and World Report. GSMC is a community hospital that consistently provides compassionate, safe and high quality care for our nearly 2,000 newborns each year, while providing parents with the information and resources they need to support their growing healthy family. The Baby Place offers free childbirth preparation classes and additional supports for parents that includes infant CPR and safety and “Boot Camp” for new dads.