Press Releases

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island and NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Receive "Baby-Friendly" Designation

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island in Brooklyn and NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan in Manhattan recognized for excellence in promoting infant and maternal health through breastfeeding and mother-child bonding

Jan 25, 2018

NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that two more hospitals in the city’s public health care system have earned the prestigious “Baby-Friendly” designation for promoting the highest level of care for infants through breast feeding and bonding between mother and baby. The recognition is awarded to hospitals all over the world by Baby-Friendly USA, part of an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The health system now has nine hospitals that have earned “Baby-Friendly” status.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island in Brooklyn and NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan in Manhattan received the designation in recent weeks for providing the optimal level of care to mothers and their babies. NYC Health + Hospitals now has nine “Baby-Friendly” acute care hospitals. There are only 14 other hospitals in New York City that have received this designation.

“This distinction underscores the unique skills of our doctors, nurses and others in our labor and delivery teams who are committed to empowering women and families to make healthy choices at the beginning of a child’s life. This is a powerful way to help them raise healthy children and foster healthy communities,” said Alina Moran, chief executive officer of NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan.

“We are thrilled to have achieved ‘Baby-Friendly’ status. This designation is the result of a strong team effort, hard work and dedication, said William A. Brown, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island’s chief executive officer. “Nothing is more rewarding than knowing our hospital is providing mothers, infants and families with a safe and nurturing environment that will mark the beginning of a lifelong bond.”

To receive the designation, hospitals are required to meet or exceed patient care standards in a rigorous on-site evaluation by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, including:

• A comprehensive education program that offers mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.
• Immediate skin-to-skin contact for mother and baby after birth.
• Intensive education of both patients and hospital staff about the important benefits and management of breastfeeding.
• Allowing newborns to stay with their mother’s 24-hours-a-day during postpartum care.
• Providing connections for breastfeeding support groups in the area.

In 2017, 1,057 babies were born at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island. The hospital works with each mother to ensure she has a safe and gratifying birthing experience. The hospital’s Mother-Baby unit features 12 private rooms where infants can room in, allowing for an early bonding opportunity between mother and child. Brahms’ lullaby is played through the hospital’s intercom system to welcome newborns into the world. Special signs are placed on the doors of mothers who elect to breastfeed as a reminder to staff to encourage and congratulate breastfeeding mothers.

In 2017, 926 babies were born at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. The hospital’s Mother-Baby unit has private suites for labor, delivery and recovery and offers wireless fetal monitoring so that mothers can walk and exercise while in labor. Families are invited to attend a range of pre and postnatal classes on topics like childbirth preparation and breastfeeding to help them welcome their baby into the world.

Other hospitals in the health system that have earned this designation include

Patients seeking more information about the Labor and Delivery programs at any of the NYC Health + Hospitals “Baby-Friendly” facilities should visit our website at nychealthandhospitals.org.

Contact: Chelsea-Lyn Rudder, 929-276-4961

About NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.