Day Kimball Hospital Birthing Center Among Top 10% in CT, Nation for Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care

Pictured: Matthew and Alycia Godzik of Putnam, CT with newborn son Theodore and DKH nurses Kathleen Dizazzo and Jennie Beaudry, November, 2016. 

Day Kimball Hospital has scored among the top ten percent of all participating maternity care facilities in Connecticut and across the United States in the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) latest Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey. The survey is administered every two years to monitor and evaluate hospital practices related to breastfeeding. About 82 percent of all facilities that provide maternity services in the U.S. participated in this latest survey, which was conducted in 2015 with the results being published by the CDC in late 2016.

The mPINC survey evaluates how effective birthing facilities are at implementing best practices that, when implemented together as a consistent system of care, results in better breastfeeding outcomes. These best practices help to support breastfeeding throughout seven key clinical care processes, from labor and delivery care to postpartum care, discharge care, staff training and the structural and organizational aspects of care delivery. 

Day Kimball Hospital earned an overall quality score of 96 out of 100 on the survey, compared to an average score of 83 for all participating birthing facilities in Connecticut and an average score of 79 for all participating birthing facilities across the U.S. Day Kimball earned a perfect “100” score in four out of the seven measurement areas. These included labor and delivery care, postpartum feeding of breastfed infants, postpartum breastfeeding assistance and the structural and organizational aspects of care delivery, which examines how policies and staffing serve to support breastfeeding initiatives.

“Our team works hard to provide the very best care to mothers and babies before, during and after delivery, and support for mother-baby bonding and breastfeeding is a very important part of that care. We’re very proud of these scores but we’re even more proud of the passion and commitment our birthing center staff shows in providing this level of care and support each and every day,” said Rachel Katsoulis, operations coordinator for the hospital’s Maternal Child Health Department.

This achievement is the latest of several over the last year for Day Kimball Hospital’s birthing center.

In February, 2016 the hospital became one of just 329 in the nation to receive the Baby Friendly Hospital designation. This global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recognizes birthing facilities that meet stringent guidelines for offering mothers the information, confidence and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies. 

And in March, 2016 Day Kimball Hospital became one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction® for Maternity Care designation from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. This new designation recognizes hospitals that deliver high-quality, affordable maternity care safely and effectively while also achieving high marks for patient satisfaction and efficiency.

To learn more about Day Kimball Hospital’s maternity care services, visit www.daykimball.org/women. To learn more about the CDC’s mPINC survey, visit www.cdc.gov/mpinc. 

Related Resources

Day Kimball Hospital: Burdick Family Birthing Center 
Women's Health: Maternal Child Health  
Women's Health Services 
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