Breastfeeding

Rhode Island is committed to promoting breastfeeding, protecting a woman’s right to breastfeed her child, and ensuring the availability of quality health care services for breastfeeding mothers. The Department of Health collaborates with and supports health care professionals and community groups working to increase breastfeeding rates in Rhode Island.

Hospitals Eliminate Hospital Discharge Bags
To encourage breastfeeding South County, Newport, Westerly, Women and Infants, and Kent Hospitals in Rhode Island have eliminated the distribution of free infant formula marketing bags to postpartum women at hospital discharge. Multiple studies show an association between the distribution of free commercial discharge bags and decreased breastfeeding rates.

Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace Award
The Rhode Island Breastfeeding Coalition and the Rhode Island Department of Health honored the University of Rhode Island and Westerly Hospital at the Gold level in October 2009 for effectively accommodating employees who continue to breastfeed their infants when they return to work. ( Award information)

Rhode Island Public Breastfeeding Law
A new law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-13.5) supporting breastfeeding families takes effect on March 1, 2009. This law allows a woman to breastfeed or bottle-feed her child in any place open to the public. The Department of Health and the Rhode Island Breastfeeding Coalition have developed materials to help employers and organizations support breastfeeding in their businesses or meeting places. (Press release)

The Business Case for Breastfeeding
Rhode Island is one of ten states that have been awarded a grant by US Department of Health and Human Services to distribute a new toolkit called “The Business Case for Breastfeeding.” This resource outlines the bottom line benefits of supporting breastfeeding employees, including fewer days of missed work, lower health care costs, lower turnover rates, higher employee productivity and loyalty, and additional health care savings.

Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
Westerly Hospital has joined South County Hospital and Newport Hospital as the third ‘Baby Friendly’ Hospital in Rhode Island, moving Rhode Island one step closer toward becoming the first ‘Baby Friendly’ state in the nation. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for breastfeeding. ( Press Release )

Eliminating Infant Formula Marketing in Hospitals
A number of professional organizations in Rhode Island have prepared a joint letter encouraging local maternity hospitals to eliminate the marketing of infant formula to new mothers through the distribution of commercial maternity discharge gift packs.

Electric Breast Pump Coverage
Three major Rhode Island health insurers, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, and UnitedHealthcare, have expanded their breastfeeding benefits to cover electric breast pumps for RIte Care mothers who have a prescription for medical necessity. UnitedHealthcare has further expanded its electric breast pump coverage to RIte Care mothers returning to work or school.

The Hospital's Role in Breastfeeding Support
The CDC has released results from the first national Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey. To characterize maternity practices supportive of breastfeeding, in 2007, CDC conducted the survey of U.S. birthing facilities with registered maternity beds. This study shows that maternity practices in U.S. hospitals and birth centers must be changed to improve breastfeeding, thereby helping to improve maternal and child health.

The CDC Breastfeeding Report Card
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released The Breastfeeding Report Card - United States, 2007. The Breastfeeding Report Card summarizes indicators for each state that measures a state’s ability to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. Eight 'process' indicators are elements of breastfeeding-friendly communities and five 'outcome' indicators are derived from Healthy People 2010, a description of the nation’s health priorities.