Florida Has 10 Baby-Friendly Hospital
(128 Maternity Hospitals in Florida) as of March 2015


June 2003;Re-Designated 2013-2018   
Safety Harbor, FL
June 2011
Jacksonville, FL
 September 2011
October 2014
Jacksonville, FL
October 2014
December 2014
Gainesville, FL
February 2015
Tampa, FL
May 2015
Pensacola, FL
June 2015
Miami, FL
July 2015


Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. Lynn Welling addresses nearly 50 patients, hospital staff members and guests Oct. 13 during a media availability at the hospital announcing NH Jacksonville's receipt of the international Baby Friendly certification while Northeast Florida Breastfeeding Collaborative Chair Heather Huffman and Glo Scurry-Smith, representative for Florida Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll look on. Baby Friendly USA is a global initiative sponsored by WHO/UNICEF. To receive this designation, medical facilities must illustrate commitment to supporting a mother's decision to breast feed and ultimately helping reduce the risk of common childhood infections, asthma and diabetes through the successful implementation of the recommended ten steps of a comprehensive breastfeeding program. While more than 20,000 facilities have the Baby Friendly designation worldwide, only 119 facilities have been certified in the United States. Along with being the first hospital in Northeast Florida, NH Jacksonville is the third military facility in the U.S. to receive this distinction.
PRESS RELEASE for naval hospital


What is Ban the Bags?  
BanTheBags.org is the web home of Ban the Bags, a national campaign to stop formula company marketing in maternity hospitals. The campaign grew out of efforts in Massachusetts to stop aggressive formula company marketing tactics in hospitals. Multiple studies have shown that formula sales campaigns undermine mothers who choose to breastfeed, and coopt medical professionals to promote expensive brand-name formula.
By Dr. Alison Stuebe, an OB/GYN and professor at the University of North Carolina


Alternative to Formula Gift Bags Healthy Baby Bags for Breastfeeding Support by Cottonwood Kids

click above to learn more or sign petition

FLORIDA Hospitals who have BANNED THE BAGS
The hospitals in Florida who have banned the bags are as follows:
Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, FL (all 4 Baptist Jax Hospitals, BMC-Beach, BMC-Nassau, BMC-South)
Cape Canaveral Hospital, Cocoa Beach, Florida
Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center, Sebring, Florida
Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida ~ click here for news release
Martin Memorial Medical Center, Stuart, Florida
Mease Countryside Hospital, Safety Harbor, Florida
Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater, Florida
Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
Naval Hospital Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida
North Florida Regional Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida
Regency Center for Women and Infants, Winter Haven, Florida
The Birth Place Celebrations, Kissimmee, Florida
as well as all Florida Baby-Friendly Hospitals above

From Maine to Mississippi
Hospital Distribution of Formula Sample Packs Along the Eastern Seaboard
Anne Merewood, MPH, IBCLC; Reginald Fonrose, BS; Marcella Singleton, RD, MS, IBCLC; Xena Grossman, RD, MS; Tina Navidi, BS; John T. Cook, PhD; Tony Pomales, BA Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(9):823-827.
Despite the demonstrated benefits of breastfeeding, only 1 in 7 infants in the United States is exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age. One known deterrent to breastfeeding is new mothers receiving formula packs on discharge from the hospital. Merewood and colleagues contacted all 1295 maternity hospitals in 21 eastern states and the District of Columbia to determine hospital policies on distribution of infant formula sample packs. The study found that 94% of hospitals distributed formula sample packs, ranging from a low of 70% of New Hampshire hospitals to 100% of hospitals in 5 other states. Fortunately, increasing numbers of hospitals are not distributing the packs.


© 2008-2013 Florida Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc.
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for the purpose of promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding.
If you have any concerns about your health or the health of your child,
 you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.