1

Improving Hospital Breastfeeding Outcomes:

The LA Experience

1

Karen Peters, MBA, RD, IBCLC BreastfeedLA:

The Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater LA

www.breastfeedLA.org

Breastfeeding Maternity

Care

Collaboration

2

Disclosure

• Karen Peters is the Executive Director of

BreastfeedLA

• She has no conflict of interest nor influencing

financial relationship that could create bias in

her presentation

3

Los Angeles County

3

57 birthing

hospitals

~130,000

births

4

The Problem

LA Breastfeeding rates are far below

recommendations

5

The Solution

Baby-Friendly Ten Steps to Successful

Breastfeeding have been demonstrated to

increase both initiation and duration of

breastfeeding

DiGirolamo, Pediatrics, 2008, Merten, Pediatrics, 2005, Philipp, Pediatrics,

2001, DiGirolamo, Birth, 2001, Kramer, JAMA, 2001

6

LA Activities to Increase the Number of

Baby-Friendly Hospitals

1. Professional Education

2. Summits

3. Regional Collaborative Learning

4. Funding

5. Southern California Kaiser Permanente

6. Technical Assistance

7

Professional Education

Breastfeeding Seminars

Partnerships with hospitals since 1998

Hospital Staff Education

Adapted from Carol Melcher, Loma Linda

Gentle Transitions 2006

Birth & Beyond California 2008

Birth & Beyond LA 2011

8

Summits

9

2014 LA County Breastfeeding Summit

Building a Breastfeeding-Friendly County:

Our Collective Responsibility

4th Bi-Annual Summit

Target Audience

Hospital Maternity Care Directors

Clinic Physician and Nurse Champions

Invitation Only

10

Regional Collaborative Learning

11

Public Health Role: Convener

Hospitals

Public Health

WIC

BF Coalition

RPPC

12

Regional Hospital Breastfeeding Consortia

(RHBC)

• 4 RHBCs: North, South, East, West

• 85% of hospitals have attended at least once

• 65% are engaged & regularly attending

12

April 2010

Pilot Kick-Off

2011

Add 2 more RHBCs

2013

Add 1 more RHBC

2014

4 RHBCs

13

Typical Agenda

• Welcome & Introductions

• Announcements

• Discussion Topic

• Resource Sharing

• Evaluations & Networking

13

14

Celebrate Success!

14

15

What is RHBC doing right?

Participants say:

• “Creating a community group of people who have the

same goal of breastfeeding support”

• “Sharing expertise, knowledge, learning”

• “Identifying challenges and addressing them”

16

Funding

17

First 5 LA: Baby-Friendly Hospital Project

• $10.5 million initiative to fund

up to 20 of the lowest

performing hospitals in the

County

• Funded hospitals receive up

to $473,000 over 3 years

18

Southern California Kaiser Permanente

• Regional commitment to improving

breastfeeding

• Baby-Friendly commitment

• BreastfeedLA – ad hoc member of regional

multidisciplinary breastfeeding committee

19

Technical Assistance

20

Communities Putting Prevention to Work

Strategy:

Provide technical assistance to the three county

(public) hospitals to achieve the Baby-Friendly

designation in less than 2 years

Activities:

Weekly meetings

Project management

Data support

Audit tools

Mock Survey

21

CPPW: Results

Baby-Friendly Designations

ValleyCare Olive View Medical Center 2011

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center 2012

LAC+USC Medical Center 2012

22

Community Transformation Grant

• Goals

o Increase the number of Baby-Friendly Hospitals

o Strengthen prenatal clinic/hospital collaboration

• Leverages First 5 LA investments in hospitals

23

Community Transformation Grant

Activities

• Request for applications

• Site visits

• Project management coaching

• Monthly cohort meetings/collaborative learning

• Link to resources

• Mock surveys

24

Scorecard

25

2014 Outcomes

Baby-Friendly Designations

Pomona Valley Medical Center

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

San Gabriel Valley Medical Center

Baby-Friendly On-Site Assessments scheduled

Providence Little Co of Mary San Pedro

St Francis

Pacific Alliance

Providence St Josephs

26

Increase in Hospitals Pursuing

Baby-Friendly

27

In-Hospital Exclusive Breastfeeding:

2010 & 2014

28

Stay in Touch

• Subscribe to the Breastfeeding Bee

Our email newsletter

www.breastfeedla.org

• Like our Facebook page

29

Prenatal Clinic Toolkit

http://breastfeedla.org/prenatal-breastfeeding-education-booklet-2/