Baby Café Bakersfield Receives Prestigious IBCLC® Care Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 20 May 2017
Christine Staricka, Facilitator
Baby Café Bakersfield
www.babycafebakersfield.org
ChristineStaricka@BabyCafeBakersfield.org
Baby Café Bakersfield Receives Prestigious IBCLC® Care Award
Bakersfield, CA: The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) and the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) have recognized Baby Café Bakersfield with their IBCLC Care Award for 2017-2019. Baby Café Bakersfield islicensed through Baby Café USA (www.babycafeusa.org) and establishes a pathway foraccess to IBCLC care and peer breastfeeding support. The IBCLC Care Directory lists recognized hospitals, birthing facilities, birthing services, and community-based health agencies that hire currently certified International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) certificants and have a dedicated lactation support program.
Established in 2014, Baby Café Bakersfield has assisted hundreds of families from the Kern County community to meet their own breastfeeding goals by providing clinical care in a welcoming, non-medical environment. Families do not pay for the care they receive atBaby Café Bakersfield, and published research has shown that the Baby Café model improves breastfeeding duration and parent satisfaction with their breastfeeding experience. Baby Café Bakersfield facilitates access to care provided by IBCLCs, the highest level of professional lactation care available.
Christine Staricka is a practicing IBCLC in the Kern County area and facilitator of Baby Café Bakersfield. Discussing the impact of this award, Christine has said that “This award confirms that Baby Café Bakersfield provides a valuable service that has been validated by these organizations. We are extremely proud of the work we do, and we are grateful that our largest source of new referrals is the families we are currently serving.” The IBCLC staff at Baby Café Bakersfield are local, experienced healthcare professionals who have seen firsthand the difficulties families face in accessing the professional lactation care they need. They have created an environment of non-judgmental breastfeeding support that offers families a place to go for breastfeeding help at least twice every week.
Families can find more information about the IBCLC Care Award at http://www.ibclccare.org/mothers.html and from USLCA at www.uslca.org, the professional association for the IBCLC in the U.S. Through efforts in leadership, advocacy, professional development, and research, USLCA works to advance the IBCLC, the national standard in professional lactation care. By working to advance the IBCLC, USLCA envisions a nation where all families have access to IBCLC care as a foundation of optimal health and wellness.