Baby-friendly certification

Located in Decatur, GA, near Atlanta, DeKalb Medical (now Emory Decatur) is the first hospital in the state to earn the designation. In addition to its new Baby-Friendly status, DeKalb Medical also received the GA Department of Public Health’s 5-STAR Hospital Recognition.

Dr. Catherine Bonk, a physician at Atlanta Gynecology Obstetrics and a member of the DeKalb Regional Health System Board of Directors was one of the keynote speakers at the event. The designated OB Champion for DeKalb Medical’s Baby-Friendly certification, Dr. Bonk was part of the team that spearheaded efforts to achieve the Baby-Friendly designation. “This was a huge undertaking by our staff, physicians, and administration,” says Dr. Bonk. “We’ve been working diligently toward this goal for a very long time and it’s exciting to see our hospital be recognized in this way. I can’t express how excited and proud I am of DeKalb Medical and our team for helping to make this happen.”

“When we were seeking this designation, I needed an OB doctor who was passionate about breastfeeding, passionate about educating pregnant women and respected by their hospital peers to serve as our ‘OB Champion’ on the Baby-Friendly Team,” says Jamie Ray, RN IBCLC and Manager, OB Community Education for DeKalb Medical. “Dr. Bonk was a perfect fit and readily agreed to be our OB Champion. She was diligent in coordinating her peers in their roles in support of our Baby-Friendly efforts. Thanks to Dr. Bonk’s leadership and guidance, every single OB and Nurse-Midwife practicing at DeKalb Medical completed the training requirements, ensuring we could qualify as a Baby-Friendly facility.”