title: Breastfeeding-Friendly Erie County: Establishing the New York State Breastfeeding Friendly Practice Designation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary care providers play an important role in encouraging and counseling pregnant and postpartum women to successfully breastfeed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  One objective of this 1-year grant was to establish the Breastfeeding Friendly Practice Designation criteria and process to identify and designate at least 5 primary care practices as New York State Breastfeeding Friendly Practices in a high-need, racially/ethnically diverse, urban county in New York with very low prevalence of breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration.
  
  
  METHODS
  A partnership between the New York State Department of Health and the P(2) Collaborative of Western New York and United Way of Buffalo & Erie County's Healthy Start Healthy Future for All Coalition facilitated the development of the New York State Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding Friendly Practice, accompanying implementation guide, designation criteria, and model office policies. Practice staff and providers received on-site training and materials and participated in a virtual learning network to share their experiences, celebrate successes, and overcome challenges in implementing system changes. Practice staff completed a self-assessment survey at baseline and after implementation of the Ten Steps and submitted their written office breastfeeding policy for review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen practices met the criteria for designation and were recognized by the New York State Health Commissioner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The number of practices designated as Breastfeeding Friendly far exceeded the grant objective. Future efforts are directed at expanding this initiative statewide and determining the impact of the designation on breastfeeding outcomes.
authors.affiliation: New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA Deborah.Gregg@health.ny.gov.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gregg
authors.affiliation: New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prokorym
authors.affiliation: New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dennison
authors.affiliation: New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Waniewski
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009518:New York; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation
keywords: New York; breastfeeding; breastfeeding practices; breastfeeding support; community support; government policy; medical practices; primary care