Good Samaritan University Hospital Receives Prestigious Baby-Friendly Designation

Catholic Health’s Good Samaritan University Hospital (West Islip, NY) is proud to announce that it has achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.

This distinguished honor demonstrates that Good Samaritan is adhering to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for optimal infant feeding support in the precious first days of a newborn’s life.

“The positive health effects of breastfeeding are well documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world,” said Good Samaritan University Hospital Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology John Vullo, MD. “Good Samaritan has long been a recognized leader in the care of women and newborns. This designation is a tribute to our commitment to ensuring that every woman who delivers a baby at our facility is given the resources, information and support needed to help her and her baby get the best, healthiest start in life.”

Good Samaritan joins a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world. As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA is responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care by coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the US.

In 2023, Good Samaritan University Hospital opened an all-new single-patient room Mother-Baby Unit, increasing the number of private patient rooms available for the hospital’s more than 3,000 maternity patients each year. Accommodations include 10 single-bedded patient rooms, each equipped with the most current technologies and the finest amenities. Also available is a high-end menu, catering specifically to labor and delivery patients and their partners. This complements the hospital’s already robust Maternity program, including serving as the South Shore’s only Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and provides a high-risk Maternal Fetal Medicine program, perinatal education/childbirth programs, and the St. Francis Heart Center Women’s Heart Wellness program, helping to detect cardiovascular disease in pregnant women. In addition, the St. Ann’s Lactation Clinic, part of the Catholic Health Physician Partners Pediatric Specialty Care Center in Babylon, offers in-person lactation consultation with a Certified Lactation Consultation.

Learn more about maternity services at Good Samaritan University Hospital.