Making change that matters: Working together for a breastfeeding friendly Philadelphia

Background: The Breastfeeding Friendly Philadelphia campaign was part of the Philadelphia Department of Health's Get Healthy Philly initiative, funded through the CDC Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant. This two-year project focused on promoting breast milk as the optimal first food and improving breastfeeding practices in Philadelphia by addressing two key barriers leading to lower breastfeeding rates in the United States: 1) lack of breastfeeding initiation; and 2) inability to sustain breastfeeding.

Methods: The organization created innovative programs that support breastfeeding initiation in hospitals and breastfeeding in workplaces by: 1) Working with hospitals to implement evidence-based breastfeeding friendly policies; and 2) Promoting the extensive breastfeeding support benefits within the business community and helping employers create breastfeeding friendly work sites.

Results: This project exceeded all expectations by assisting five of six Philadelphia birthing hospitals enter the official pathway to Baby Friendly Hospital designation, and helping 12 employers to become Breastfeeding Friendly Employers who now serve as a resource and model for others. This work has the potential to impact the health of 19,000 babies and their mothers each year! The employer program component can potentially benefit 17,609 female employees of childbearing age.

Conclusion: This collaborative approach successfully built a foundation for normalizing breastfeeding and increasing breastfeeding rates so that the health and societal benefits of breastfeeding can be experienced across a large, urban environment. The presentation will discuss key strategies, such as the establishment of a multi-hospital task force, strategic partnerships, promotional events, and a multi-media campaign; and lessons learned.