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.