Updates from BFUSA

After 13 years as a member of BFUSA’s Board of Directors — two of them as Board Chair — Ann Brownlee Sykora, PhD, is stepping away from her governance role at the end of this year.Read more

Angela Parker and Kim Pace have worked together in Maternity Services at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb, Mississippi, for almost as long as either can remember. Kim has been there the longest. She joinedRead more

“I've just always loved babies.” That’s how Dr. Lisa Eiland, Division Lead for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, in Hackensack, New Jersey, describesRead more

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has issued a new report, Breastfeeding in the United States: Strategies to Support Families and Achieve National Goals, which analyzes breastfeeding promotion, initiation, and support across the UnitedRead more

“I love this organization. Its mission is my mission.” That’s how Patrice Davis, DNP, FNP-C, RNC-MNN, IBCLC, explains why she accepted the offer to become the newest member of BFUSA’s Board of Directors without a secondRead more

After Marianne McTyre and Rachel Cascone, leaders of the Baby-Friendly effort at Katz Women’s Hospital at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH), met with their BFUSA surveyors at the end of their assessment visit in AprilRead more

How does someone go from being an accountant/comptroller at a large nonprofit organization to being an accomplished birth and postpartum doula, lactation consultant, and now the newest member of Baby-Friendly USA’s Board of Directors? That’s theRead more

Boston Medical Center (BMC), an inner-city, safety net hospital in Boston’s South End, was one of the first facilities in the nation to become Baby-Friendly designated. They were designated before the turn of the century!Read more

Anna McNicholas, RN, MSN, CCRN, Nurse Manager and Baby-Friendly Coordinator for Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Massachusetts, didn’t know what to expect when she received a call from Melissa Cho, BFUSA’s Accreditation Director. “It was my dayRead more

In the United States today, the likelihood of a mother receiving the support she needs to meet her breastfeeding goals is heavily influenced by race and ethnicity—with Black and Hispanic mothers about 40% less likely thanRead more

“I received a voicemail on a Friday afternoon from Melissa Cho, the Director of Accreditation at BFUSA, saying, ‘If you have a moment, please give us a call.’ I was afraid she was going to tellRead more

Utilizing objective measures of quality such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices, and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, U.S. News has published its list ofRead more

As we look back on 2024, BFUSA would like to take a moment to celebrate all of the facilities that were either newly designated or re-designated Baby-Friendly this past year. Please join us in congratulatingRead more

Located in the heart of the Pueblo of Zuni community, the Zuni Comprehensive Community Health Center in Zuni, New Mexico is the primary health care facility for residents of the reservation and beyond. Operated byRead more

“Third time’s a charm,” says Carol Fuller, RN, the System Director of Nursing for Women/Children’s Services at Bronson Methodist and Bronson Battle Creek Hospitals in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan. She’s speaking about Bronson’s longRead more

When Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (the “President’s Hospital”) was redesignated Baby-Friendly for another five years in March of 2024, one member of BFUSA’s staff was particularly pleased to hear the news.Read more

Becky Fallon, MSN, who has been with Baby-Friendly for six years, will be retiring in May 2024. BFUSA thanks Becky for her commitment to excellence and dedicated service throughout those years and wishes her well inRead more

Christa Rudat, MSN, RN, IBCLC was ready. She had been at North Baldwin Infirmary in Bay Minette, Alabama, for less than a year when Gena Cash, the Manager of the Birth Center, came to her toRead more

He was there before BFUSA was BFUSA ― in the early 1990s, as part of the initial formative discussions about how to implement the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in the United States. Then, in 1997, he becameRead more

“Isn’t that amazing? It’s one of my favorite things to talk about.” That’s how Nancy Dmitruchina, MSN, RN, IBCLC, expresses her enthusiasm for the Breastfeeding Medicine practice at Trinity Health Ann Arbor in Michigan. The practiceRead more

BFUSA is pleased to welcome Kinkini Banerjee and Brian Dittmeier as the newest members of its Board of Directors. Both were introduced at the Board’s October 2 meeting. “We are thrilled to welcome Kinkini and BrianRead more

Dianne Velez, RN, BSN, IBCLC, was scheduled to retire in December 2022. As she was closing in on her 39th year of work at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, the popular nurse was getting ready to focusRead more