Hard work pays off at Sierra View

Earning the designation as a Baby Friendly hospital does not come easily in today’s environment. Sierra View Medical Center being so designated is a huge accomplishment that took months of work and a lot of effort by staff.

The designation by Babyfriendly USA, Inc. and achieving the gold Standard of Care, is something the hospital has strived to achieve for months. The process actually began in 2013. It means the hospital’s newborn department is among the best in the nation and Sierra View is the only hospital in Tulare County designated as Baby Friendly.

Basically, the criteria to be so designated is that staff have a higher level of training and skill to take care of newborns. That means everyone, from nurses to physicians, has gone through specialized training with a strong emphasis placed on getting the mother to breast feed her baby which improves bonding between mother and baby and also makes for a healthier baby and a healthier child.

To earn the designation, a hospital is closely scrutinized to ensure it is meeting some very high standards. Sierra View underwent a site visit and review earlier this year. It is not an easy goal to reach and it will be just as challenging to hold on to the designation, so the hospital cannot relax now that it has achieved such a lofty status. It also means residents of Porterville, especially young families and those just staring families, have a hospital that works very hard to ensure every baby is off to a good start and every new mother knows the importance of breast feeding.

We congratulate the hospital and its staff for earning the distinction.

Editorials in The Porterville Recorder are the opinion of the editorial board which consists of Publisher Rick Elkins and the managing editor. Other columns, letters and cartoons on this page express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily of The Recorder.