MARSHALL HEALTH NETWORK

Congratulations to Marshall Health Network, CHEER’s CHAMPion of the Week, for launching a breastfeeding support policy that strengthens care for mothers and babies across their network.

Melanie Akers, Vice President of Women’s & Children’s Services at Marshall Health Network, shares:

“Marshall Health Network recognizes the proven benefits of breastfeeding for both babies and moms. We identified a gap in how we supported inpatient mothers who wished to breastfeed their infants beyond the immediate postpartum period or outside of our children’s areas. Guided by our mission, ‘Advancing Health. Inspiring Hope. Serving You,’ we recognized this opportunity and put together a multidisciplinary team to review evidence-based guidelines and develop a systemwide policy that truly supports breastfeeding. This new policy not only encourages breastfeeding but also ensures mothers receive the support they need, even when they are inpatients themselves. We are excited to strengthen our commitment to breastfeeding families across our network.”

The new policy allows infants up to one year of age to stay with their breastfeeding mother when she is an inpatient, provided that the physician approves and a responsible adult of the mother’s choosing is designated to care for the infant at all times.

Special recognition goes to Charlotte Dillon, CHAMPS National lead and Lactation Consultant at Cabell Huntington Hospital within the Marshall Health Network, and the team of certified breastfeeding specialists, whose expertise helped shape this policy. Thank you to Melanie Akers for her leadership and dedication to keeping mothers and babies together during hospitalization.

CHEER celebrates Marshall Health Network for this innovative, compassionate step and for championing policies that truly support breastfeeding families.