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.
Eighteen Kansas hospitals’ commitment to improving infant and maternal health has earned them recognition through High 5 for Mom & Baby.
- Atchison – Amberwell Health Atchison
- Belleville – Republic County Hospital
- Burlington – Coffey County Hospital
- Chanute – Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center
- Dodge City – Western Plains Medical Complex
- Hiawatha – Amberwell Health Hiawatha
- Hutchinson – Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
- Junction City – Geary Community Hospital
- Kansas City – Providence Medical Center
- Lyons – Hospital District #1 of Rice County
- Manhattan – Ascension Via Christi Hospital
- McPherson – McPherson Hospital
- Newton – NMC Health
- Overland Park– New Birth Company
- Pittsburg – Ascension Via Christi Hospital
- Quinter – Gove County Medical Center
- Sabetha – Sabetha Community Hospital
- Seneca – Nemaha Valley Community Hospital
High 5 for Mom & Baby provides training, resources, and a framework to help Kansas hospitals and birth facilities implement five or more 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 recognition, each facility must complete a voluntary, self-reported evaluation and follow five or more 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 22 additional Kansas hospitals that maintain all ten of the evidence-based practices above and are recognized as High 5 for Mom and Baby Premier 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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