Pictured L-R: Dawn Thibodeau- Salazar, Women’s Services Clinical Educator; Javier Iruegas, Chief Executive Officer; Sheena Kaukel-Garza, Director of Children’s Services and Leticia Cano, Manager of Children’s Services
Mission Regional Medical Center has taken a giant step towards improving the health of newborns and infants by earning the Texas Ten Step Program facility designation from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The Texas Ten Step Program encourages breastfeeding as the preferred method of feeding for newborns and infants. Mission Regional Medical Center joins a growing number of Texas birth facilities that are supporting new mothers and their decision to breastfeed.
Based on the World Health Organization (WHO)/ UNICEF’s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the program aims to assist birth facility’s support of breastfeeding mothers before, during, and after delivery; encourages them to identify breastfeeding resources for the mother after she is discharged; and assists facilities in improving on national performance measures such as the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Breastfeeding Report Card. The goal of the Texas Ten Step Program is to increase breastfeeding initiation rates to 82 percent.
Texas Ten Step facilities are asked to address 85% of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, be designated as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite, evaluate their breastfeeding policies, maternity care practices and educate all healthcare staff routinely with evidence-based courses.
“We have worked very hard to earn the Texas Ten Step Program designation,” said Sheena Kaukel-Garza, Director of Children’s Services at Mission Regional Medical Center. “And we are proud to join the other select Texas hospitals in promoting breastfeeding to our new mothers.”
For more information on the Texas Ten Step Program, call Veronica Hendrix, Program Coordinator at (512) 341-4592, or visit the web site at http://www.texastenstep.org