Vicki Walters RN, BS is Director of Women's Services, NICU and Pediatrics, and CHAMPS Lactation Team Lead at CHAMPS hospital Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She has 36 years of nursing experience. Previously, Vicki worked as Director of Women's and Children's Services at CHAMPS hosp

Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) in Anchorage, Alaska was the first hospital in Alaska to enroll in the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) CHAMPS program. Staff members at ANMC have been working towards Baby-Friendly designation for 10+ years but have faced challenges. Now they are ready to fo

The San Antonio Breastfeeding Coalition (SABC) is the central coordinating resource for breastfeeding support, advocacy and education in San Antonio, Texas. Their bilingual website is an excellent tool for families and professiona

Deanna Denise (“Dee”) Huerta, IBCLC, Certification of Nutrition, WCS, is the Breastfeeding Coordinator at Christus Health WIC in San Antonio, Texas. She has worked for Texas WIC for 9 years and for Christus Health WIC for 4. Christus Health WIC has 3 clinics in San Antonio, including one across

Laura María Gruber, IBCLC, RLC is a rising star in the breastfeeding field! Based out of San Antonio, Texas, Laura is a private practice IBCLC and the owner of Breastfeeding Housecalls, LLC. She is also involved i

Euphemia John, IBCLC, CLC and Twila Whitekiller, IBCLC, CLC help to run an outstanding lactation program at Cherokee Nation WIC! Euphemia, Lactation Coordinator, has worked there for 31 years, and Twila, Lactation Supervisor, has worked there for 11 years. Both women are members of the Cherokee trib

CHAMPS congratulates our newest team member, Julia “Nikki” Hannon, M.Ed., for the incredible work she is doing to support breastfeeding within the Browning Public Schools (BPS) in Montana! Nikki will be joining our AI/AN CHAMPS project as a consultant, specifically working on drug prevention a

Congratulations to CHAMPS Hospital OCH Regional Medical Center in Starkville, Mississippi, the only facility in Mississippi to win the prestigious 2016 IBCLC Care Award! The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® and the International Lactation Consultant Association® are the 2 org

In the past several years, 16 Indian hospitals (both Indian Health Service and tribal) have become Baby-Friendly! CHAMPS and Baby-Friendly USA Executive Director Trish MacEnroe, BS, CDN, CLC personally congratulated these hospitals at this week's AI/AN CHAMPS Conference, "The Second Indian Country B

This week’s CHAMPion is Maggie Allen, IBCLC, who will be the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) at the new CHAMPS Delta Hills Baby Café opening April 27, 2016! Maggie is a Lactation Consultant for the Washington Department WIC office at the Mississippi Department of Health