Breastfeeding Exclusive June 2017 - EMPower Breastfeeding Initiative Update
EMPower team group picture
In May, all EMPower hospitals were invited to come together in Atlanta, GA to attend our 2nd Learning Collaborative Meeting. This year’s agenda brought nationally renowed speakers to share on important topics and the latest research in breastfeeding. We also incorporated individual hospital presentations into each of the breakout sessions, ensuring that hospital teams played a central role in the meeting, and that teams could learn from one another. The sharing and engagement was nothing short of inspiring, both for hospital teams and the EMPower coaches and team members in attendance. We want to congratulate our teams on how far they have come, and for where they are heading: ten facilities have achieved Baby-Friendly designation, and a large group are either awaiting assessment by Baby-Friendly or are in the process of scheduling their assessment date.
Kori Flower, EMPower QI Coach recently presented on May 9th at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting. The presentation, Implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding through the EMPower Initiative: One Year Collaborative Follow-Up, detailed EMPower hospitals’ collective progress on each of the collected measures of the project, demonstrating success. CGBI and multiple other EMPower team members co-authored the presentation. The EMPower initiative will also be represented at this year’s American Public Health Association Conference in the fall.
After the designation of EMPower hospital Monogalia General in West Virginia, our country now has at least one Baby-Friendly designated facility in all 50 states! As we prepare for the end of this incredible journey, we would like to acknowledge what a learning process it has been for everyone involved. We look forward to sharing the lessons learned and to future work aimed at increasing the implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding remains a key population health issue; one that maternity centers have great influence in affecting by the care they practice every day.
