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Empowering parents to breastfeed every step of the way
About Us
The BFREE Team, based in Cohen Children's Medical Center (CCMC), was one of 9 teams awarded a grant by the New York State Department of Health to lead breastfeeding/chestfeeding and lactation support initiatives throughout Nassau and Suffolk County. Our team has experience promoting breastfeeding through Long Island from our work with our prior 6-year grant, Creating Breastfeeding Friendly Communities, from 2017 to 2023. We also have prior experience promoting breastfeeding/chestfeeding in clinical practices through our New York State Department of Health grant from 2011-2016 addressing pediatric obesity prevention.
Our Mission
To improve lactation education and support through pregnancy, the period following childbirth, and early childhood in our priority communities on Long Island in order to help families meet their breastfeeding/chestfeeding goals and reduce racial, ethnic, and community differences in breastfeeding/chestfeeding rates.
Our Vision
For a majority of parents in the communities we work with to continue breastfeeding/chestfeeding with family/community support for a minimum of 6 months, with a notable percentage doing so exclusively.
Our Priority Communities
Babylon
Glen Cove
Southampton
Islip
Hempstead
Shinnecock Reservation
Our Goals
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Promote evidence-based lactation education/management
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Support parents in meeting their lactation goals
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Establish policy and community support for breastfeeding/chestfeeding
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Increase breastfeeding/chestfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration within the selected communities
Our Objectives
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Increase the number of Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding, and Lactation Friendly health care practices
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Increase the number of Lactation Friendly worksites
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Develop new and expand our existing lactation support groups
- Build and expand our collaborative cross-sectional coalition in support of breastfeeding/chestfeeding
- Conduct communication and sustainability activities
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Implement breastfeeding/chestfeeding and lactation support in community and public spaces
