The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and International Lactation Consultant Association have recognized St. Mary's Health Care System in Athens and its Family Birth Center for excellence in lactation care.

St. Mary's has received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition of staffing professionals who hold International Board Certified Lactation Consultant certification and providing a lactation program for breastfeeding families. In addition, the facility demonstrated that it has recently completed activities that help protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

Roberto Issler, IBCLC Chair of the Board of IBLCE, recently stated, “Agencies that are awarded the IBCLC Care Award have dedicated their efforts to promote and provide a lactation program that makes expert assistance available when the breastfeeding family needs it. This is achieved through encouraging and informing breastfeeding families about the benefits and management of breastfeeding as well as training health care professionals to assist families achieve their breastfeeding goals.”

St. Mary's international board certified lactation consultants are Laura Crowe, Donna Jenkins and Mallary King. They work closely with families – especially mothers – before and after childbirth to help establish and maintain the breastfeeding relationship. Their services include one-on-one education and problem-solving, telephone and personal consultations, and weekly support group meetings. They also assist mothers with pumping and with the nutrition of newborns in neonatal intensive care.

International Board Certified Lactation Consultants focus on preventive care, so they are available during pregnancy to assess and provide information on how to successfully initiate breastfeeding. They continue that assistance after the baby is born by helping families overcome breastfeeding challenges, providing accurate information, and continuing to support them as their baby grows. They assist families returning to work or school, help families in more unusual situations such as breastfeeding more than one baby or nursing a sick or premature infant, and help train nursing staff to manage basic breastfeeding care.

According to Mudiwah A. Kadeshe, President of ILCA, “IBCLCs work tirelessly in all corners of the globe to help parents provide optimal nutrition to their children. We are proud to recognize some of these IBCLCs through the IBCLC Care Award, which highlights the significant contributions of IBCLCs to improving global health outcomes at the local level.”