Baptist Health Louisville recognized for excellence in lactation care
Baptist Health Louisville has received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition.
(Louisville, Ky), June 15, 2022 - The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) have recognized Baptist Health Louisville for excellence in lactation care.
Baptist Health Louisville has received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition for staffing professionals who hold the prestigious International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) certification and providing a lactation program for breastfeeding families. In addition, the facility demonstrated that it has recently completed activities that help protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
Annabelle Mackenzie, M.A. (Cantab), IBCLC, and Chair of the Board of IBLCE, recently stated, “The IBCLC Care Award honors lactation programs dedicated to making expert assistance available when breastfeeding families need it. Thank you to the IBCLCs around the world advancing global public health by promoting breastfeeding through professional and compassionate care, advocacy and training.”
IBCLCs focus on preventive care, so they are available during pregnancy to assess and provide information on how to successfully initiate breastfeeding. They continue that assistance after the baby is born by helping families overcome breastfeeding challenges, providing accurate information, and continuing to support them as their baby grows. They assist families returning to work or school, as well as help families in more unusual situations such as breastfeeding more than one baby or nursing a sick or premature infant, and they also help train nursing staff to manage basic breastfeeding care.
According to Stephanie George, Indigenous Midwife, IBCLC, and President of ILCA, “We are proud as IBCLCs to be the professional standard in the provision of breastfeeding care, in any setting. The multi-role capacity of the IBCLC cannot be overlooked, nor can the economic and social impact of having an IBCLC on staff be ignored. It is an honor to recognize the facilities and IBCLCs that are transforming world health through skilled lactation care with the IBCLC Care Award.”
As allied health care professionals with the leading internationally recognized certification for professional lactation services, IBCLC professionals work in hospitals and birthing centers, clinics, public health agencies, private practice, community settings, government agencies, and in research. There are currently more than 34,000 such professionals in 129 countries worldwide that are IBCLCs (www.iblce.org). The IBCLC certification program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). NCCA accreditation represents a mark of quality for certification programs.
In addition to finding IBCLC professionals at Baptist Health Louisville, families can also find an IBCLC near them by visiting ILCA. Follow the “Find a Lactation Consultant” link and search for an IBCLC by postal code, city and state, or country.
For more information about the IBCLC Care Award program, contact IBLCE. https://iblce.org/