HARRISON - North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) is among the first hospitals in the nation to successfully complete the EMPower Training initiative, a skills-based competency training to advance knowledge and skills in evidence-based maternity practices supportive of optimal infant nutrition.
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the EMPower Training initiative is committed to safe implementation of maternity care practices to support optimal infant nutrition, including breastfeeding, toward the ultimate goal of improving the public's health. This initiative will allow NARMC staff to develop, implement and monitor an individualized training plan of their own. This way, every team member, present and future, will be trained consistently.
As part of this effort, NARMC committed to training staff in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) guidance outlined in the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. With the help of the EMPower Training initiative, NARMC is now equipped with skills needed to help support mothers in the safe implementation of optimal infant nutrition.
The EMPower team consists of a partnership of three organizations, including Abt Associates, Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute and Population Health Improvement Partners.