UK HealthCare receives prestigious Baby-Friendly designation
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2025) — UK HealthCare has once again been awarded the prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States. The hospital first received the designation in 2015.
This designation demonstrates UK HealthCare’s adherence to the highest standards of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. These standards are built on the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding,” a set of evidence-based practices recommended by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund for optimal infant feeding support in the first days of a newborn’s life.
“The Baby-Friendly designation highlights our commitment to evidence-based, compassionate care for women and newborns,” said Emily DeFranco, D.O., chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kentucky. “We’re proud to provide an environment where mothers feel supported in their feeding choices and where every baby begins life with the best chance to thrive.”
The positive health effects of breastfeeding are well documented and widely recognized by health authorities throughout the world. Many studies cited by the U.S. Surgeon General in the 2011 “Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding” show that breast milk not only fulfills an infant’s nutritional needs but also has immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that can protect them from illness and infection.
UK HealthCare joins a growing list of more than 20,000 Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers throughout the world, 470 of which are in the United States. These facilities provide an environment that supports breastfeeding while respecting every woman’s right to make the best decision for herself and her family.
About Baby-Friendly USA
As the accrediting body and national authority for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States, Baby-Friendly USA is responsible for upholding the highest standards in infant feeding care by coordinating and conducting all activities necessary to confer the prestigious Baby-Friendly designation and ensure the widespread adoption of the BFHI in the U.S. Learn more about Baby-Friendly USA and the BFHI at www.babyfriendlyusa.org.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.