WAKEFIELD – South County Hospital has been ranked among the best-performing hospitals in the nation for maternity practices in infant nutrition and care, based on a review of 2,690 facilities nationwide by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
The survey, which covered 82 percent of the facilities that provide maternity care, covered 34 questions on labor and delivery; postpartum breastfeeding assistance; postpartum contact between mother and infant; postpartum feeding of breastfed infants; breastfeeding support upon discharge; staff breastfeeding training and education; and structural and organizational factors related to breastfeeding. Participation was voluntary.
The survey found that overall, birth facilities in most states are not providing maternity care that is fully supportive of breastfeeding. But South County Hospital was well above the norm, scoring in the 97th percentile nationally, 95th percentile in the state, and 99th when compared with hospitals of similar size, according to a news release.
“We know now that breastfeeding affects the health of both moms and babies,” said Denise McCooey, a nurse and international board-certified lactation consultant who leads the lactation programs at the hospital. “Here at South County Hospital, that’s our job – to support moms and babies and help them be successful at breastfeeding.”
“We have inpatient and outpatient programs, and we see moms from all over Rhode Island and from Connecticut and Massachusetts, too,” she added. “Our ‘Warm Line’ gets five to 10 calls a day, every day, from women who delivered here and from women who delivered elsewhere, including every other hospital in the state. That’s our reputation here … for a community hospital to meet these goals is commendable.”
South County Hospital, a 100-bed hospital, is part of the South County Hospital Healthcare System, which also includes VNS Home Health Care, South County Quality Care, and South County Surgical Supply. For more information, go to www.schospital.com. For information about the lactation support services or any of the other prenatal or postpartum programs at the hospital, call (401) 792-2229.
