Kent Hospital is pleased to announce that its Women's Care Center has recently received the prestigious international recognition as a Baby-Friendly® Designated birth facility. Kent Hospital, part of Care New England Health System, is the second largest hospital in the state, and offers a modern, warm and inviting setting dedicated to a woman's unique health needs.
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the U.S. authority on 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 promote the best, evidences-based feeding practices for all babies.
"It is an honor to have Kent Hospital recognized as a Baby-Friendly facility," said Rebecca Burke, RN, MS, NEA-BC, vice president patient care services and chief nursing officer at Kent Hospital. "The staff of the Women's Care Center work tirelessly to ensure the best experience for new mothers. Becoming Baby-Friendly recognized, shows the commitment and dedication that our staff has to providing optimal care to breastfeeding mothers and their newborns. Kent Hospital has been working towards best practices and evidence-based national studies to improve the quality, support and the healthiest start to life."
Care New England's Women& Infants Hospital was recognized as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth facility back in August 2015. Women & Infants is the second-largest hospital in the nation to achieve this designation.
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 the rates of breastfeeding decline significantly by six months. Best Fed Beginnings sought 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.
Kent Hospital, a Care New England Hospital, is a 359-bed, acute care hospital. It is Rhode Island’s second largest hospital, serving approximately 300,000 residents of central Rhode Island.
A teaching affiliate of The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kent offers programs in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and an Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship. Kent’s redesigned Emergency Department (ED) sees approximately 70,000 patients a year and ranks Kent’s ED volume among the top 10-percent nationally. It was the first hospital in the state to eliminate the practice of ambulance diversion.
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