St. Joseph’s PCC OB/GYN Earns Lactation-Friendly Practice Designation
It is the first practice in Onondaga County to receive this honor
The Onondaga County Health Department’s Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding, and Lactation Friendly New York (BFFNY) Program is proud to award St. Joseph’s Physicians Primary Care Center OB/GYN practice the New York State Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding, and Lactation Friendly Practice Designation, administered by the New York State Department of Health.
St. Joseph’s Physicians Primary Care Center OB/GYN is the first practice in Onondaga County to receive this designation. The designation reflects the practice’s achievement of the New York State Ten Steps to a Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding, and Lactation Friendly Practice.
The New York State Ten Steps are a set of guidelines that help health care practices support families who choose to breastfeed or chestfeed. The Ten Steps emphasize trained staff, clear policies, and access to resources, so families feel welcomed, informed, and supported before and after their baby is born.
“Promoting the health and well-being of moms, babies, and growing families is at the heart of our mission at St. Joseph’s Health,” said Julianne Himes, President of St. Joseph’s Physicians. “This designation reflects our unwavering commitment to providing compassionate, evidence-based care that empowers families from the very beginning. We are proud of our Primary Care Center OB/GYN team for creating an environment where every parent feels supported in their feeding journey and every baby has the healthiest possible start.”
This achievement at the Primary Care Center OB/GYN office builds upon St. Joseph’s Health Hospital’s longstanding foundation in breastfeeding support and early bonding. The hospital was among the first in New York State to earn the Baby-Friendly Hospital designation—an accreditation from the World Health Organization and UNICEF—reflecting its deep commitment to evidence-based maternity care. Families delivering at St. Joseph’s benefit from practices such as immediate skin-to-skin contact, rooming-in, and daily visits from International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants, along with personalized feeding plans, breast pump guidance, specialized NICU lactation support, and follow-up assistance after discharge. Together, these services ensure that families who choose St. Joseph’s Health receive consistent, seamless lactation support from prenatal care through birth and the early weeks at home.
“By achieving this designation, St. Joseph’s PCC OB/GYN is helping set a standard for family-centered, lactation-supportive care in our community,” said Kathryn Anderson, MD, PhD, MSPH, Onondaga County Commissioner of Health.
“Their work shows how health care practices can make meaningful changes that advance health equity and improve continuity of care for families,” said Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon, II.
The Onondaga County Health Department’s BFFNY Program is funded by the New York State Department of Health and works with health care practices, worksites, lactation support groups, and community spaces in the City of Syracuse, the Onondaga Nation, and the Town of Van Buren to support breastfeeding and chestfeeding families. The program helps partners create welcoming and inclusive environments through lactation spaces, supportive policies or pledges, and family-centered practices that make it easier for families to start and continue breastfeeding and chestfeeding, particularly in communities that face greater barriers to access.
