Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library locations will open at 11:00 am this Thursday, December 4th.

Downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, online magazines, and more are always available at www.evpl.org/downloads.

We are pleased to announce that St. Mary’s Hospital for Women & Children is the first hospital in the Tri-State to be designated as a Baby-Friendly Hospital by Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. This designation showcases the level of care, support and personal attention St. Mary’s Hospital for Women & Children is dedicated to providing all families who choose us for their care during such a special time.
Through this designation, St. Mary’s Hospital for Women & Children, which is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, has been recognized by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative as providing the optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative was launched in 1991 as a global program by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The achievement of the Baby-Friendly designation is not an easy task. The U.S. Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria are quite challenging as they are designed to set the standards for the best possible breastfeeding support for mother and infant in the maternity setting, insuring high quality of care for both mother and baby.
It is well documented that breastfeeding offers unmatched benefits for baby, mom and the entire family. St. Mary’s supports our mothers through our highly-skilled lactation consultants who offer inpatient/outpatient consultations and regular breastfeeding classes and support groups and through techniques such as skin-to-skin contact and rooming-in. Skin-to-skin involves skin-to-skin contact between mom and baby and dad and baby as soon after birth as possible.
Rooming-in is the practice of keeping babies with their mothers as many hours of the day/night as possible. It is a mother’s decision to choose her feeding preference, and we will support her decision regardless. Every mother is provided the same opportunities for skin to skin and rooming-in. Those who choose not to breastfeed or who are unable are provided education about safe preparations of powdered formula and baby led feedings. St. Mary’s Hospital for Women & Children staff and physicians alike have undergone hours of additional education on how to best support breastfeeding mothers and provide education for the safe preparation of formula. All of these practices are for the benefit of mother/baby and family bonding which has health benefits for the entire family.
As Michelle Musgrave, Administrator of St. Mary’s Hospital for Women & Children says, “We are so pleased to be able to share the news of our Baby-Friendly designation. Our staff has and will continue to put forth a tremendous amount of energy into this initiative. This designation further demonstrates to our community that St. Mary’s Hospital for Women & Children provides the most supportive and caring environment for mothers, babies and the entire family.”
St. Mary’s Baby-Friendly journey has been made possible by the commitment of our associates and physicians and the support of the Healthy Community Partnerships Community Transformation Grant received in September 2012.
There are more than 20,000 designated Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers worldwide. Currently there are 220 active Baby-Friendly hospitals and birth centers in the United States. The “Baby-Friendly” designation is given after a rigorous on-site survey is completed. The award is maintained by continuing to practice the Ten Steps as demonstrated by quality processes.
For more information on the benefits Baby-Friendly designation offers to families, go to babyfriendlyusa.org/faqs/for-parents or stmarys.org/baby-friendly

“Cookies with Santa”
December 6, 2014
10 a.m. to Noon
Little Lambs inside
First Presbyterian Church
609 SE 2nd St., Evansville

Each child will enjoy a personal conversation with Santa, take photos, and receive a Christmas present direct from the North Pole!

Tri State Community Clinics and St. Mary’s are pleased to announce we have joined together in a strategic partnership for the continued delivery of high-quality employer based clinics for businesses in Evansville and the surrounding areas.
Together, St. Mary’s Health and Tri State Community Clinics recognize it is our duty to continually work better and smarter for the individuals, families and businesses that make up our community and that the highest calling of healthcare is to keep healthy people healthy. This partnership is a natural next step for both organizations as our goals of wellness align and the environment of healthcare continues to advance toward support and encouragement of wellness and preventive care services.
St. Mary’s, which is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, is committed to enhancing Tri State Community Clinic’s mission of improving the health of those we serve for the long-term benefit of our community. As a provider of on-site medical clinics and wellness programs that grow and sustain the highest levels of health for employers, employees and their families, this partnership will foster the overall well-being of our community by supporting area businesses that are committed to the health of their staff. In addition, this partnership will allow for both entities to come together for continued growth while supporting each other through shared resources and best practices.
“We couldn’t be happier to partner together as organizations that hold the same firm belief that the patient must come first. Tri State Community Clinics was founded on this principle, and it is certainly a concept that is woven within the Mission of St. Mary’s Health,” said Keith Jewell, President of St. Mary’s Health. “Together, we believe that by focusing on the patient-provider relationship and eliminating factors that limit access and add unnecessary costs, more patients are served and kept healthy.”

“As a Physician who has focused on population health management for the past decade the growing change in focus is long overdue. Over the past several years I have been amazed at the improved outcomes we have achieved both individually and with entire populations within a business,” said Dr. Chad Perkins, Chief Medical Officer of Tri State Community Clinics. “In addition, fostering successful patient experiences leads directly to lower long-term costs. St. Mary’s commitment to our employer based wellness centers enhances our mission to improve health of individuals and overall population health for the long-term benefit of our community.”
Together, we are very excited to build on the strong reputation and foundation of Tri State Community Clinics and grow this program to serve even more employers in our region. Our clients will see a seamless transition as we enter into this partnership. The hours of operation and contact information for our onsite clinics will remain the same, and scheduling for services will continue to take place through tscommunityclinics.com.