Nicklaus Children's Hospital Recognized for Excellence in Lactation Care

Published on: 06/09/2023

The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners^® (IBLCE^®) and International Lactation Consultant Association^® (ILCA^®) have recognized Nicklaus Children's Hospital for excellence in lactation care. Nicklaus Children's received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition of its commitment to staffing the hospital with 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.

Mona Sakr, MBBS, MSc, IBCLC, Chair of the Board of Directors of IBLCE recently shared, "IBCLCs and the hospitals and health care facilities who employ them provide invaluable care to breastfeeding families as well as advance global public health. These skilled lactation professionals and the healthcare institutions with which they are affiliated are demonstrating a commitment to excellence. Thank you for your dedication."

"We are immensely honored to be recognized by the IBLCE and ILCA for our excellence in lactation care," said Shannon Odell, vice president and chief nursing officer at Nicklaus Children's. "This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to providing the highest quality of care to our pediatric patients and their families. At Nicklaus Children's, we strive to create a supportive environment that empowers and guides breastfeeding mothers, ensuring optimal health outcomes for both mothers and infants. This accolade is one more example of why Nicklaus Children's is the hospital 'where your child matters most.'"

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, help families in more unusual situations such as breastfeeding more than one baby or nursing a sick or premature infant, and help train nursing staff to manage basic breastfeeding care.

Iona Macnab, BA(Hons), LLB, IBCLC, President of ILCA added, "IBCLCs are the global professional standard in the clinical management of breastfeeding and lactation across diverse settings. Recognizing the facilities that invest in IBCLCs on staff with the IBCLC Care Award highlights the significant impact IBCLCs have on improving health outcomes in communities across the world." 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 nearly 36,000 such professionals in 131 countries worldwide who are IBCLCs (www.iblce.org). The IBCLC certification program is accredited by the NCCA, the accreditation arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. NCCA accreditation represents a mark of quality for certification programs. In addition to finding IBCLC professionals at Nicklaus Children's Hospital, families can also find an IBCLC near them by visiting www.ilca.org. 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 at [email protected].