Birth and Beyond California Hospitals January 2008
Announcement:
April 1, 2008 Deadline to apply: June 6, 2008
The Regional Perinatal Programs of California (RPPC) and the
Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles are pleased to
announce the release of a Request for Application to qualified
hospitals and medical centers interested in participating in the
Birth and Beyond California: Breastfeeding Training and Quality
Improvement Project. As part of an ongoing effort to improve
breastfeeding outcomes throughout California, twelve hospitals
will be selected to participate. Hospitals will receive training
and quality assurance technical assistance, and will participate
in regional quality improvement networking.
In this second cycle of this project, twelve hospitals in total
will be selected in California. Four hospitals will be selected
in RPPC 5 – the San Joaquin Valley, four in RPPC 6 – Los
Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, and four in RPPC 8
– Orange County.
Click here to learn more and apply to the
Birth and Beyond California Project.
Voluntary information sessions will be held at the followings
meetings:
Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara Counties
Region 6
Early June, please check the PAC/LAC calendar at
http://www.paclac.org
for updates.
12:00 to 2:30
To register, please contact Senely Navarrete at
snavarrete@paclac.org
Regions 6.1 & 6.2
May 14, Wednesday
11:30 to 1:30
To register, please contact Cathy Fagen at
cfagen@memorialcare.org
San Joaquin Valley
(Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus,
Tuolumne or Tulare Counties)
April 17, Thursday
Infant Health and Breastfeeding QI Network in Visalia
10:00 to 4:00
To register, please contact Karen Hamilton at
KHamilton@healthcollaborative.org
April 23, Wednesday
Teleconference
10:00 – 11:00
To register, please contact Karen Hamilton at
KHamilton@healthcollaborative.org
Orange County
May 8, 2008, Thursday
Orange County Perinatal Council Meeting
9:00 – 11:00
To register, please contact Sheila Marton at
smarton@uci.edu
Additional information about the Birth and Beyond California
Project can be found at
http://www.paclac.org.
Funds for this project are provided by the California Department
of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program.
There is no charge to the hospital for the training and
technical assistance provided by the Regional Perinatal Program
consultants and trainers.
All qualified hospitals and medical centers are encouraged to
apply.
BBC Background and Overview of
the Breastfeeding Taskforce of
Greater Los Angeles
BBC Application
- Self Appraisal Form
BBC Application
Checklist
BBC Application_MOU
Four LA County Hospitals Selected
California Department of Public Health funds training and
technical assistance to improve breastfeeding rates.
January 15, 2008
Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical
Center, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, St. Francis
Medical Center, and Torrance Memorial Medical Center are the
successful applicants for the new Birth and Beyond California
Project, funding by the California Department of Pubic Health
and implemented in Los Angeles County by PAC/LAC and the
Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles.
“We look forward to providing staff
education, training for the hospital based educators, and
support to the in-hospital team working on breastfeeding quality
improvement,” said Karen Peters, executive director of the
Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles.
A report issued on November 14, 2007 by the University of
California at Davis Human Lactation Center (UCD HLC) and
sponsored by the California WIC Association (CWA) ranked nearly
every hospital in the state in terms of the rate of new mothers
who breastfeed while in the hospital. The analysis revealed
stark differences in rates -- with a concentration of
low-performing hospitals in Southern California counties -- and
demonstrated that the breastfeeding gap was greatest in
hospitals serving many ethnic low-income mothers and babies. But
the report went on to show that, when hospitals improve their
newborn feeding policies and practices, they can dramatically
increase their breastfeeding rates.
“Mothers value hospital support to
help them achieve successful exclusive breastfeeding. Since we
know that exclusive breastfeeding is associated with better
infant and maternal health outcomes including lower risk for
childhood overweight, this is especially important for our
low-income moms and babies who are at increased risk of
overweight,” noted Wendy Slusser, MD, UCLA Medical School.
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages mothers to
breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months, as it is the
healthiest way to feed new babies and is clearly the preferred
feeding method for most new mothers. Offering supplemental
formula unnecessarily in the hospital can interfere with a
mother’s plan to breastfeed. “The first 48 hours after birth is
a critical time for women who breastfeed, as it’s during those
first few days that milk production begins,” noted Jane Heinig,
Ph.D., IBCLC and Executive Director of UCD HLC. Heinig added,
“While breastfeeding is a natural process, many new moms have
difficulty getting started. In the past, female relatives living
nearby helped women successfully initiate breastfeeding. Today,
with most women giving birth in hospitals, the responsibility to
give mothers that support has fallen to the medical profession.
With supportive policies in place, staff can help new mothers of
all income levels and ethnicities to follow-through with their
plans to breastfeed their babies.”
“When model policies and practices
are implemented, exclusive breastfeeding rates increase. It is
amazing how creating a hospital environment that truly supports
women who want to breastfeed, the gap between those mothers who
leave the hospital breastfeeding and supplementing with formula
and those mothers who leave the hospital exclusively breastfeed
narrows for women of all income levels and ethnicities,” said
Peters.
Birth and Beyond Frequently Asked Questions
Application for
Breastfeeding Training and Quality Improvement Technical
Assistance
LOS ANGELES, VENTURA OR SANTA BARBARA
COUNTIES
FRESNO, KERN, KINGS, MADERA,
MARIPOSA, MERCED, STANISLAUS, TUOLUMNE OR TULARE COUNTIES
LOS ANGELES, VENTURA OR SANTA
BARBARA COUNTIES
The Breastfeeding Task
Force of Greater Los Angeles,
in conjunction with the Perinatal Advisory Council (PAC/LAC), is
proud to announce the release of an Application for
Breastfeeding Training and Quality Improvement Technical
Assistance for the “Birth and Beyond California Project”.
Despite a growing amount of research on the benefits of
exclusive breastfeeding, as well as endorsements from the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the World Health
Organization, breastfeeding rates in California fall below
national objectives. California hospitals have initiation rates
of 83% for any breastfeeding, but only 43% for exclusive
breastfeeding. The hospital stay is a critical period for the
mother and infant, where important bonding occurs and the
pathway to breastfeeding success is paved. This project aims to
support hospitals in the process of improving breastfeeding
rates through technical assistance, resource development, and
on-site education and training.
Hospital staff and administrators must agree to participate in
multiple training sessions and quality improvement groups, as
well as promote and document changes in hospital policies and
practice. Any hospital located in Los Angeles, Ventura, or
Santa Barbara Counties is encouraged to apply. The current
project is anticipated to run from January 1, 2008, through June
30, 2011. Applications are due by 12:00 noon, December 31,
2007.
Four
hospitals will be selected during this first cycle. There will
be six more cycles during 2008 – 2001. Hospitals that are not
selected during this cycle will be eligible to apply for future
cycles.
Funds
for this project are provided by the California Department of
Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program.
For a more
complete description of project elements and a copy of the
Application, please see:
Application/Self Appraisal Form
Application MOU
Application for Training and TA PACLAC
Application Checklist
FRESNO, KERN, KINGS, MADERA, MARIPOSA, MERCED,
STANISLAUS, TUOLUMNE
OR TULARE COUNTIES
The San Joaquin – Sierra Regional Perinatal Program in
conjunction with the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los
Angeles is proud to announce the release of an Application for
Breastfeeding Training and Quality Improvement Technical
Assistance for the “Birth and Beyond California Project”.
Despite a growing amount of research on the benefits of
exclusive breastfeeding, as well as endorsements from the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the World Health
Organization, breastfeeding rates in California fall below
national objectives. California hospitals have initiation rates
of 83% for any breastfeeding, but only 43% for exclusive
breastfeeding. The hospital stay is a critical period for the
mother and infant, where important bonding occurs and the
pathway to breastfeeding success is paved. This project aims to
support hospitals in the process of improving breastfeeding
rates through technical assistance, resource development, and
on-site education and training.
Hospital staff and administrators must agree to participate in
multiple training sessions and quality improvement groups, as
well as promote and document changes in hospital policies and
practice. Any hospital located in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera,
Mariposa, Merced, Stanislaus, Tuolumme, or Tulare Counties is
encouraged to apply. The current project is anticipated to run
from January 1, 2008, through June 30, 2011. Applications are
due by 12:00 noon on December 31, 2007.
Four hospitals will be selected during this first cycle. There
will be six more cycles during 2008 – 2011.
Hospitals that are not selected during this cycle will be
eligible to apply for future cycles.
Funds for this project are provided by the California Department
of Public Health, Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program.
For a more complete description of project elements and a copy
of the Application:
Application/Self Appraisal Form
Application MOU
Application for Training and TA Region 5
Application Checklist
