St. Luke's Health - Brazosport Hospital Achieves Texas Ten Step Designation

St. Luke's Health–Brazosport Hospital Achieves Texas Ten Step Designation

Lake Jackson, TX (November 16, 2016) – St. Luke's Health–Brazosport Hospital (Brazosport Hospital) announced today that it has earned designation as a “Texas Ten Step Program” facility from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Brazosport Hospital is the first facility in the Brazoria County area to achieve this designation. With increasing the incidence of breastfeeding as its primary focus, the Texas Ten Step Program provides assistance and resources to help birthing facilities encourage and support their patients in breastfeeding their babies.

“Achieving our designation is a reflection of Brazosport Hospital's commitment to offering supportive care to breastfeeding mothers,” said Al Guevara, President, Brazosport Hospital. “We are dedicated to ensuring that new mothers feel empowered and educated to make informed choices when deciding to breastfeed their newborns.”

Brazosport Hospital joins a growing number of Texas birthing facilities that are supporting new mothers and their decision to breastfeed. Based on the World Health Organization / UNICEF&'s Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the program aims to assist birth facilities&' support of breastfeeding mothers before, during, and after delivery. In addition, it encourages facilities to identify breastfeeding resources for the mother after she is discharged and assists facilities in improving national performance measures such as the Centers for Disease Control&'s 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 percent of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, be designated as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite, evaluate their breastfeeding policies and maternity care practices, and educate all healthcare staff routinely with evidence-based courses.

For more information on the Texas Ten Step Program, contact Veronica Hendrix, Program Coordinator at (512) 341-4592, or visit the web site at www.texastenstep.org.

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About St. Luke&'s Health

St. Luke's Health, a member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), is comprised of three markets, St. Luke&'s Health is home of the Texas Heart Institute (THI),  eight hospitals, eight emergency centers, Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Radiation & CyberKnife® Center, and several St. Luke's Medical Group locations throughout Greater Houston; St. Luke's Health Memorial (three hospitals and a long-term acute care facility in East Texas); and St. Joseph Health (five hospitals and several St. Joseph Medical Group locations across Brazos Valley). In addition, St. Luke's is a part of a joint venture agreement with Baylor College of Medicine®, which encompasses Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in the Texas Medical Center.  Together, St. Luke's Health, THI, and Baylor College of Medicine® are transforming health care delivery with a mission to usher in a new era of health care to create healthier communities. For more information, visit CHIStLukesHealth.org.

St. Luke's Health is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), one of the nation's largest health systems. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CHI operates in 19 states and comprises 105 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals; 30 critical-access facilities; community health services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home health agencies; and other services that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. Learn more at catholichealthinitiatives.com.