BLACKFEET COMMUNITY HOSPITAL!

Congratulations to the Obstetrics Department of Blackfeet Community Hospital (BCH), an Indian Health Service hospital in Browning, Montana, which recently won a 2015 Health Hero award from the Eat Right Montana Coalition and the Montana Action for Healthy Kids Team! This statewide award is given to individuals or organizations that have done exceptional work to promote healthy nutrition or physical activity. Blackfeet Community Hospital was given the award for their wonderful achievement of Baby-Friendly Hospital designation, which occurred in November 2014. The CHAMPS team interviewed Kirsten Krane, MS-MPH, RDN, former Public Health Nutritionist for the Blackfeet Reservation and current American Indian/Alaska Native CHAMPS Project Manager, who helped lead BCH through the process of becoming Baby-Friendly.
“It was a long, rough 2.5 year road to becoming Baby-friendly!” says Kirsten. “When we started, both in-patient nursing supervisor positions were vacant, our doctors were chronically overworked and hesitant to take on a new challenge like Baby-friendly… by the end we were a generally organized and robust team working to improve the health of mothers and babies… becoming Baby-friendly was a huge accomplishment and point of pride.”

To read more about Blackfeet Community Hospital winning a 2015 Health Hero award, visit the Indian Health Service Director’s Blog.