Sharp Mary Birch Selected for Unprecedented National Effort to Increase Breastfeeding Rates in U.S. Hospitals

Exclusive group of hospitals transforming maternity care services in states with low breastfeeding rates.

SAN DIEGO— Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns has been selected to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind national effort to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where rates are currently the lowest. 

Although breastfeeding is one of the most effective preventive health measures for infants and mothers, half of U.S.-born babies are given formula within the first week, and by 9 months, only 31 percent of babies are breastfeeding at all. Best Fed Beginnings seeks to reverse these trends by dramatically increasing the number of U.S. hospitals implementing a proven model for maternity services that better supports a new mother’s choice to breastfeed. The National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) is leading the effort through a cooperative funding agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and will be working closely with Baby-Friendly USA, Inc.

“Sharp Mary Birch is delighted to have been chosen to participate in this important effort and to have the opportunity to improve our maternity care services to better support breastfeeding,” said Trisha Khaleghi, senior vice president and chief executive officer of Sharp Mary Birch. “We recognize that for women who plan to breastfeed, the hospital experience strongly influences a mother’s ability to start and continue breastfeeding. We are committed to implementing evidence-based care through the Baby-Friendly designation process. This will ensure that mothers delivering in our facility who intend to breastfeed are fully supported.”

In addition to Sharp Mary Birch, 89 other hospitals are participating in this initiative and were selected from 235 applicants. The groups will work together in a 22-month learning collaborative, using proven quality improvement methods to transform their maternity care services in pursuit of “Baby-Friendly” designation. This designation verifies that a hospital has comprehensively implemented the American Academy of Pediatrics-endorsed Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, as established in the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. Breastfeeding rates are higher and disparities in these rates are virtually eliminated in hospitals that achieve this status.

“We look forward to working with Sharp Mary Birch and congratulate them on their successful application,” said Dr. Charlie Homer, president and CEO of NICHQ. “The large number of applications we received affirms the commitment of hospitals across our country to be part of a health care system that truly focuses on promoting health for women and infants. We are especially pleased that we received so many applications from hospitals in states where there are so few facilities with Baby-Friendly designation and from hospitals that serve populations of women who now are much less likely to breastfeed.”

Breastfeeding has multiple health benefits for both infants and mothers. For infants, it decreases the incidence and severity of many infectious diseases, reduces infant mortality and optimally supports neurodevelopment. It also decreases infants’ risk of becoming obese later in childhood. For mothers, breastfeeding decreases the risks of breast and ovarian cancers, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular disease. 

About Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns
As San Diego’s only hospital dedicated exclusively to women, Sharp Mary Birch offers a full range of obstetrical, medical and surgical services for all stages of life. The hospital has nine operating rooms and more than 169 licensed acute-care beds. Over 150 physicians specializing in women’s and infants’ medicine are affiliated with Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns which delivers more than 8,600 babies each year – the most in California. Sharp Mary Birch is a leader in Southern California featuring 24-hour physician care, prenatal testing, care for high-risk pregnancies, state-of-the-art labor and delivery suites, the region’s largest neonatal intensive care unit and the New Beginnings Boutique for expecting and new moms. Sharp Mary Birch also provides general, plastics and gynecologic surgery services, as well as gynecologic oncology and a comprehensive women’s health education program.

About the CDC
CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention. Whether these threats are global or domestic, chronic or acute, curable or preventable, natural disaster or deliberate attack, CDC is the nation’s health protection agency.

About NICHQ
Founded in 1999, the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) is an action-oriented organization dedicated to achieving a world in which all children receive the high-quality healthcare they need. Led by experienced pediatric healthcare professionals, NICHQ’s mission is to improve children’s health by improving the systems responsible for the delivery of children’s health care. For more information, visit www.nichq.org.

About Baby-Friendly USA
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother-baby bonding. The BFHI assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies or feeding formula safely, and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so. For more information, visit www.babyfriendlyusa.org.

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