Winthrop-University: LI’s ‘baby-friendly’ hospital

A Baby-Friendly Designation has been awarded to Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola.

Winthrop is the first and only hospital on Long Island to receive this honor, presented by Baby-Friendly USA to select hospitals and birthing centers in the United States.

More than 5,000 babies each year begin their lives in Winthrop’s New Life Center, a modern facility that offers 16 labor-delivery-recovery rooms, each attractively decorated to provide a comfortable, homey environment. While the ambiance is tranquil, expectant moms and dads can also feel secure in the knowledge that the sophisticated technology and vast resources of a major, university-affiliated medical center are close at hand should a complication develop.

The hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, with class-leading outcomes in overall survival and survival without complications in extremely premature babies, is staffed with specially trained experts in newborn medicine who care for babies born prematurely or with problems requiring special attention.

“I am proud of the ongoing effort that was put forth to achieve this prestigious designation,” said Winthrop President and CEO John F. Collins. “Many mothers and babies will benefit from the hard work and dedication of every Winthrop nurse, physician and support staff member who made this possible. This is one more example of how Winthrop continues to raise the bar on L.I. for maternal-fetal medicine.” 

Baby-Friendly USA is the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program launched by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund in 1991 to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding.