close

Jefferson lauded for breastfeeding support

2 min read
article image -

Jefferson Hospital, part of the Allegheny Health Network (AHN), is the first hospital in Western Pennsylvania to achieve Keystone 10 designation, indicating Jefferson’s high level of support for breastfeeding families through the adoption and implementation of evidence-based practices.

Keystone 10 is a quality improvement breastfeeding initiative aimed at improving the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding for all Pennsylvania infants, mothers and families. The Pennsylvania Department of Health developed the Keystone 10 Initiative as a means of improving individual facility and state level breastfeeding care and rates and ultimately improving the health of mothers and babies.

“From the time it opened four years ago as the Pittsburgh region’s first new obstetrics unit in 30 years, Jefferson Hospital’s Women and Infants Center has been dedicated to improving the health of women and babies with the most sophisticated care, delivered with great expertise and compassion,” said Louise Urban, president and CEO of Jefferson Hospital. “The Keystone 10 designation exemplifies the forward-thinking, patient focused-care offered at Jefferson Women and Infants Center.”

Keystone 10-designated facilities focus on breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in, among other elements. Keystone 10 is based on similar initiatives in other states that have shown success in assisting birthing facilities in the promotion of breastfeeding through establishment of breastfeeding policy, implementation of procedure improvements and supporting families in making informed feeding decisions.

“The Keystone 10 designation was a team effort by everyone at Jefferson Women and Infants Center, said David Logan, MD, director of obstetrics. “It reflects the team’s commitment to putting the health of women and their infants at the center of everything we do, using evidence-based practices to give mother and baby a head start on a long and healthy life.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, breastfed infants have a reduced chance of developing asthma, respiratory and ear infections, type 2 diabetes, obesity and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS.) Mothers who breastfeed reduce their chances of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today