Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine earns Texas Ten Step Designation

Program Encourages Breastfeeding for Newborns

Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine has earned the Texas Ten Step designation from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) and the Texas Hospital Association for improving the health of newborns and infants by encouraging breastfeeding. Baylor Grapevine met the program's goal of having 75 percent of their mothers breastfeeding before they go home from the hospital with their newborn. 

The Texas Ten Step Program encourages breastfeeding as the preferred method of feeding newborns and infants since human milk is the only substance available to provide complete nutrition and immunologic protection to the human infant. Through the use of 10 goals or "steps," the program aims to help facilities support breastfeeding mothers before, during, and after delivery and encourage facilities to identify breastfeeding resources for the mother after she is discharged. 

In fiscal year 2007, Baylor Grapevine had 3,166 births, the second highest number of births at a Baylor Health Care System hospital. 

"We have worked very hard to earn the Texas Ten Step designation," said Baylor Grapevine president Doug Lawson. "We are proud to join the other select Texas facilities in promoting breastfeed to our new mothers." 

Texas Ten Step maternity staffs receive breastfeeding training within the first six months of employment and receive annual updates. This training includes the advantages of breastfeeding, anatomy and physiology of breastfeeding, how to solve common breastfeeding problems, and the impact of introducing formula and pacifiers before breastfeeding is established. Training also includes supervised clinical experience, a system of referral to breastfeeding specialists after discharge, and a list of community resources. 

Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine is a 233-bed, full-service, fully-accredited not-for-profit hospital, serving residents in more than 20 cities throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The hospital offers advanced medical care for brain and spine conditions, cardiovascular care, intensive care, diagnostic imaging, women's services, neonatal intensive care, sleep disorders and emergency care. VHA, Inc. honored Baylor Grapevine with a 2007 leadership award for its care of patients with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and heart failure. This award honors health care organizations that have differentiated themselves around national performance standards. Doug Lawson serves as president of Baylor Grapevine. 

For fiscal year 2007, the faith-based Baylor Health Care System reported $390 million* in community benefit, which includes providing care for charity patients and patients enrolled in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, as well as the unreimbursed cost of medical education, research and community programs. 

*Represents preliminary information that will be reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Contact: Susan Hall, 214- 820-1817
Email: susanh@baylorhealth.edu 

About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com