The Baby-Friendly team at Henry Mayo was recently honored at the Santa Clarita Elks Lodge Community Service Awards program, which recognizes outstanding members of our community. Representing the hospital were Mary Beth Sweet, Carolyn Bramen, Jolli Bernier, Lisa Araki and Sally McGann.

The hospital is one of the life-saving organizations that the Lodge honors along with the Sheriff’s Department, CHP, Los Angeles County Fire Department and others. Baby-Friendly was chosen by Henry Mayo employees as the top program among eight other nominees at the hospital.

Hospital staff worked for four years to thoroughly implement Baby-Friendly policies at Henry Mayo. After a rigorous onsite survey, in 2011, Henry Mayo became the 9th hospital in Los Angeles County and the 121sthospital nationwide to be designated as “Baby-Friendly.” The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages caregivers to give new mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their infants, and recognizes hospitals and birth centers giving this optimal level of care.