Lankenau Medical Center, Paoli Hospital recognized for excellence in lactation care

Bryn Mawr, PA — Lankenau Medical Center and Paoli Hospital, both part of Main Line Health, have been recognized by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) for excellence in lactation care.
Lankenau and Paoli received the globally recognized IBCLC Care Award for providing a lactation program for breastfeeding families and demonstrating they recently completed activities that help protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. All four Main Line Health acute care hospitals have professionals available with International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) certification.

“I’m proud that Lankenau and Paoli have been honored for the important work they do to support mothers who wish to breastfeed,” said Joseph Gobern, MD, MBA, FACOG, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Main Line Health. “Breastfed babies may see a decreased incidence or severity in a variety of health conditions and adds possible protection against sudden infant death syndrome and asthma. In addition, mothers who breastfeed may have an easier time returning to pre-pregnancy weight and see reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Supporting lactation is one of the many ways we work to provide safe, high-quality and equitable care for our community.”
Paoli and Lankenau were recognized for their successful Bridge Milk Program. Designed to help the families whose newborns require supplementation within the first week of life, the program ensures that while the mother's own milk production is being established, pasteurized human donor milk is an option to fill any nutritional or supply gaps when medically indicated. It is the seventh time winning the award for Paoli and the third for Lankenau.
IBCLCs focus on preventive care. 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.
“IBCLCs and the hospitals and health care facilities who employ them provide invaluable care to breastfeeding families as well as advance global public health,” said Mona Sakr, MBBS, MSc, IBCLC, Chair of the Board of Directors of IBLCE. “These skilled lactation professionals and the healthcare institutions with which they are affiliated are demonstrating a commitment to excellence. Thank you for your dedication.”
Iona Macnab, BA(Hons), LLB, IBCLC, President of ILCA, added, "IBCLCs are the global professional standard in the clinical management of breastfeeding and lactation across diverse settings. Recognizing the facilities that invest in IBCLCs on staff with the IBCLC Care Award highlights the significant impact IBCLCs have on improving health outcomes in communities across 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 36,000 such professionals in 131 countries worldwide who are IBCLCs (www.iblce.org). The IBCLC certification program is accredited by the NCCA, the accreditation arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. NCCA accreditation represents a mark of quality for certification programs.
For more information about the IBCLC Care Award program, contact IBLCE at [email protected].
About Lankenau Medical Center
Lankenau Medical Center, part of Main Line Health, has been devoted to the health and well-being of the community since 1860, with a founding mission to serve all those in need. Our continued dedication to service, compassionate patient care and superior clinical programs makes Lankenau a preferred destination for care by people throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond. Lankenau offers primary care, disease prevention and specialized medical and surgical management of all diseases and disorders, as well as access to clinical trials. As a 371-bed teaching and research institution, Lankenau is committed to maintaining high-level expertise across all clinical areas and is consistently recognized for providing outstanding care across major specialties including heart and vascular care, cancer care, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, pulmonology, neurosurgery, nephrology and urology. Lankenau is ranked as one of the top three hospitals in the region and top seven in the state by U.S. News & World Report 2023-24. It is rated a high performer in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating.
About Paoli Hospital
Paoli Hospital, part of Main Line Health, is a 249-bed, not-for-profit acute care hospital and Chester County’s only trauma center. Paoli Hospital’s comprehensive services and programs offer a full range of care in maternity, orthopaedics, cardiac, cancer and breast health all aided by dedicated care teams and health care professionals. In collaboration with Jefferson Health Neurosurgery and Tele-Neurocritical Care Services, Paoli Hospital’s Neurointervention Lab brings leading neurointervention care to Chester County and offers the most advanced diagnostics and treatment available for patients experiencing stroke. Paoli Hospital has also received both regional and national recognition for its excellence in providing state-of-the-art, quality care, most notably in the area of patient satisfaction. U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals 2023–2024 rated Paoli Hospital as High Performing in eight commonly occurring conditions and medical procedures and earned a coveted Adult Specialty rating. U.S. News also ranked Paoli Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals out of nearly 100 in the Philadelphia region and among the top 20 hospitals out of more than 200 in Pennsylvania.