San Antonio Regional Hospital Receives Prestigious Baby-Friendly Re-designation

(UPLAND, Ca) – JuLY 15, 2024 San Antonio Regional Hospital is proud to announce that it has achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly redesignation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.

This distinguished honor demonstrates that San Antonio Regional Hospital is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.

The positive health effects of breastfeeding are well documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world. For example, the Surgeon General’s 2011 Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding stated that “Breast milk is uniquely suited to the human infant’s nutritional needs and is a live substance with unparalleled immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that protect against a host of illnesses and diseases for both mothers and children.”

“The hospital experience strongly influences a mother’s ability to start and continue breastfeeding,” said LuWanda Paggett, RN, MSN-Ed, NEA-BC, Director of Maternal Child Services & NICU at San Antonio Regional Hospital. “We are committed to providing the support, education, and resources moms need to successfully initiate breastfeeding and give moms who choose to breastfeed the best chance for success when they leave our care.”

San Antonio joins a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, 566 of which are in the United States. These facilities provide an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.

ABOUT SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL HOSPITAL
San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, California is a 363-bed, nonprofit, acute care hospital that combines excellent clinical care with exceptional compassion. The award-winning hospital offers a comprehensive range of general medical and surgical services, along with the latest technological advances in cardiac care, cancer care, orthopedics, neurosciences, women’s health, maternity and neonatal care, and emergency services. Founded in 1907, with only 18 beds and 5 physicians, San Antonio Regional Hospital is continually growing with its community and is now recognized as a premier regional medical facility with satellite locations across the rapidly expanding Inland Empire. Given its broad geographic reach and the depth and breadth of its services and programs, supported by the latest medical science and technology, San Antonio is a hospital of the future, offering state-of-the-art healthcare services in a healing environment focused on the patient and family. To learn more, visit sarh.org.

ABOUT BABY-FRIENDLY USA
As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA is responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care by coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the US. Learn more about Baby-Friendly USA and the BFHI at www.babyfriendlyusa.org.