I am very proud to announce that after years of hard work and commitment
by many, Queen of the Valley has earned and received prestigious international
recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility.
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc is the U.S. authority for the implementation of
the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (“BFHI”), a global program
sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes
hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for
breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Based on the Ten Steps to Successful
Breastfeeding, this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities
that offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence and skills
needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.
This was an outstanding effort by many, but I would like to especially
thank the team that lead this effort: Heidi Funk, Judy Chacon and Anjanette
Gaane with significant contributions by Nicole Zanelli, Jo Cruz, Kathleen
Hulme, Cecylia Menjivar, Carol Scatamacchia. Also, thanks to the physicians
who participated in the survey: Dr. Anna Leung, Dr. Daniel Barajas, Dr.
Stella Kpaduwa, Dr. Arthur Escamillo and Dr. Aarti Kulshrestha. Congratulations
everyone and especially to our new mothers and their babies.