Anna Jaques Hospital Receives Prestigious Baby-Friendly Designation
Recognizes Hospital’s Commitment to Health of Newborns, Mothers
Newburyport, MA – Anna Jaques Hospital, a member of Beth Israel Lahey Health, has been redesignated as a Baby-Friendly Hospital by Baby-Friendly USA, the accrediting body and national authority for the global Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
“Anna Jaques Hospital has long been recognized as a leader in the care of women and newborns,” said Glenn Focht, MD, president of Anna Jaques Hospital. “This designation is a testament to our commitment to ensuring that every patient who delivers a baby at our hospital is given the resources, information and support needed to help her and her baby get the best, healthiest start in life. We are proud of our team members for their hard work throughout this rigorous redesignation process and for their dedication to helping our newborns and families thrive.”
The distinguished Baby-Friendly USA honor recognizes that Anna Jaques Hospital is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the first days of a newborn’s life.
The Baby-Friendly USA recognition was first awarded to Anna Jaques Hospital in 2018. The redesignation extends for five years.
Baby-Friendly Hospitals provide an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every right to make the best decision for herself and her family based on the information surrounding safe and nutritious feeding.
Anna Jaques Hospital delivered nearly 600 newborns in 2023. Families delivering at Anna Jaques Hospital enjoy expert and compassionate care close to home, with access to a wide range of personalized birth choices and family-centered care; maternal fetal medicine specialists and obstetricians skilled in all types of pregnancies and related conditions; certified nurse midwives who support natural approaches to pregnancy and birth, advocate for Baby-Friendly practices and are active on the hospital’s Breastfeeding Task Force; and 24/7 availability of advanced neonatology care. A variety of classes and support groups, including breastfeeding, childbirth preparation, newborn care, infant safety and sibling preparation, are available to the community as well.
About Anna Jaques Hospital
Anna Jaques Hospital is a 83-bed not-for-profit community hospital serving the Merrimack Valley, North Shore and Southern New Hampshire. With 1,200 employees and more than 200 physicians on staff, Anna Jaques is recognized for delivering high quality community health care with an emphasis on patient satisfaction.
Anna Jaques Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians, and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through ground-breaking research and education.
