IBCLC Care Award

The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners^® (IBLCE^®) and International Lactation Consultant Association^® (ILCA^®) have recognized Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center for excellence in lactation care.

Memorial Hospital has received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition for staffing 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.

Bayyinah Muhammad, MSN, CNM, WHNP-BC, IBCLC, Chair of the Board of Directors of IBLCE, recently shared, “By integrating IBCLCs into your care team, you are empowering families with the education, support and encouragement they need to make informed feeding choices and build strong, healthy bonds from the very beginning. Thank you for championing maternal and infant health. Your efforts are truly valued and make a lasting impact on communities.”

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.

Maxine Scringer-Wilkes, BN, MN, RN, IBCLC, President of ILCA, added, “IBCLCs represent the professional standard worldwide in providing skilled lactation care and clinical expertise for breastfeeding families. Throughout their perinatal experience, families require lactation support both within facilities and in their communities to attain their feeding goals. The IBCLC Care Award recognizes facilities that employ IBCLCs, highlighting their vital contribution to improving public health around 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 over 38,000 such professionals in 136 countries worldwide that are IBCLCs (www.iblce.org). The IBCLC certification program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. NCCA accreditation represents a mark of quality and excellence for professional certification programs.

In addition to finding IBCLC professionals at Memorial 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 award@iblce.org.