Breastfeeding plays a crucial role in the overall health of babies and mothers and demonstrates hospitals’ commitment to improving infant and maternal health.
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, through its High 5 for Mom & Baby program, is committed to promoting breastfeeding best practices and to supporting hospitals’ efforts to ensure their staff are prepared to support parents’ breastfeeding needs and goals.
Twenty-two Kansas hospitals’ commitment to improving infant and maternal health has earned them recognition through High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier. These facilities follow all ten of the evidence-based High 5 for Mom & Baby practices. This is the largest number of hospitals to earn the highest level of High 5 for Mom & Baby recognition since the program was introduced.
- Abilene – Memorial Hospital
- Arkansas City – South Central Kansas Medical Center
- Clay Center – Clay County Medical Center
- Colby – Citizens Medical Center
- Emporia – Newman Regional Health
- Fort Riley – Irwin Army Community Hospital
- Hays – Hays Medical Center
- Kansas City – University of Kansas Health System
- Lakin – Kearny County Hospital
- Lawrence – LMH Health, Lawrence Memorial Hospital
- Onaga – Community HealthCare System
- Ottawa – AdventHealth Ottawa
- Overland Park – Saint Luke’s South Hospital
- Parsons – Labette Health
- Plainville – Rooks County Health Center
- Pratt – Pratt Regional Medical Center
- Salina – Salina Regional Health Center
- Shawnee Mission – AdventHealth Shawnee Mission
- Topeka – Stormont Vail Healthcare
- Topeka – University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus
- Winfield – William Newton Hospital
- Wichita – Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph
High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier provides training, resources, and a framework to help Kansas hospitals and birth facilities implement ten evidence-based practices proven to support successful breastfeeding, improving maternal and infant health outcomes while also reducing racial and ethnic health disparities.
To obtain High 5 for Mom & Baby Premier recognition, each facility must complete a voluntary, self-reported evaluation and follow all ten of the evidence-based High 5 for Mom & Baby practices:
- Facility will have a written maternity care and infant feeding policy that addresses all ten High 5 for Mom & Baby practices supporting breastfeeding
- Facility will maintain staff competency in lactation support
- All pregnant women will receive information and instruction on breastfeeding
- Assure immediate and sustained skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby after birth
- All families will receive individualized infant feeding counseling
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breastmilk unless medically indicated
- Practice “rooming in” – allow mothers and infants to remain together 24 hours a day
- Families will be encouraged to feed their babies when the baby exhibits feeding cues, regardless of feeding methods
- Give no pacifiers or artificial nipples to breastfeeding infants
- Provide mothers options for breastfeeding support in the community (such as a telephone number, walk-in clinic information, support groups, etc.) upon discharge
For a list of the 18 additional Kansas hospitals that maintain at least five of the evidence-based practices above and are recognized as High 5 for Mom and Baby facilities, visit https://www.high5kansas.org/. For more information on High 5 for Mom & Baby, contact Cara Gerhardt, Program Coordinator: coordinator@high5kansas.org.
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