Marshall, MO – Baby-Friendly USA, Inc., the United States authority for the implementation of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) recently announced that Fitzgibbon Hospital has received prestigious international recognition as a Re-Designated Baby-Friendly birth facility.
Fitzgibbon Hospital is one of only seven hospitals in the state of Missouri to be designated as a Baby-Friendly birth facility, recognizing its support for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. The “Baby-Friendly” re-designation was given after a rigorous on-site survey was completed.
The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. Based on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, this prestigious international award recognizes birth facilities that offer breastfeeding mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies.
Fitzgibbon Hospital originally obtained the Baby Friendly designation in 2014. At that time it was only the third hospital in the state to be recognized.  Since then, only six other hospitals have been able to meet the rigorous standards including University of Missouri Women’s & Children’s Hospital, two Truman Medical Center properties, Hannibal Regional Hospital, Barnes Jewish Hospital and Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.
Fitzgibbon Hospital is one of only two hospitals in Missouri who have successfully obtained re-designation. Surveys of hospitals for the Baby Friendly Initiative are conducted every five years.