Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group eNews

Get your children ready for back to school

Watch 3 new videos!

Watch our new videos on school lunches, backpacks and tips for school athletes.
If you've got school-aged children at home, you are probably busy getting ready for the new school year.

Going back to school unleashes a flood of feelings for kids — excitement, anticipation and, of course, a little sadness for those summer days gone so quickly.

For most parents, it means life is a little more stressful and expensive as we try to adjust to new schedules and try to fit shopping for those last few items of clothing and school supplies into an already busy calendar.

Get tips for better school lunches, backpack safety and tips for athletes returning to the field.

www.southcoast.org/school/

Join us for Sharon's Walk

Join Southcoast and FUN 107 for the second annual Sharon's Walk in honor of Sharon and Elaine Foragen to benefit Southcoast Centers for Cancer Care.

Sunday, October 23, 2011
Fort Taber
New Bedford

The second annual memorial walk and family-friendly event to honor Sharon Fogaren, the co-host of the "J.R. & Sharon" morning radio show on FUN 107, and her mother, Elaine Fogaren, who passed away from breast cancer, will take place on Sunday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fort Taber in New Bedford.

Check-in begins at 8 a.m. The registration fee is $15 per person or $20 the day of the event.

All pre-registered participants will receive a Sharon's Walk memorial T-shirt.

To register, sponsor an individual/team or make a donation visit ...

www.southcoast.org/sharonswalk/

Tobey is Baby-Friendly!

Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Health System and Southcoast Hospitals Group, and his wife, Erin, and their daughter, Reya, join Janine Fontaine, RN, Director of Women's Health, and Mary Ellen Boisvert, RN, Manager of Family Centered Unit at Tobey Hospital, at the Baby-Friendly event on August 1 at Tobey Hospital.

Tobey Hospital recently received Baby-Friendly Designation from Baby Friendly USA, a non-profit organization that implements the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in the United States.

Tobey Hospital is the third facility and the first community hospital in Massachusetts to receive this prestigious designation.

"Tobey Hospital met numerous requirements to achieve the Baby-Friendly Designation, including the practice of 'rooming in,' which allows mothers and infants to remain together 24-hours a day, providing breastfeeding education to all staff and encouraging skin-to-skin contact immediately after delivery," said Liz Westwater, Project Manager for Baby-Friendly USA.

Tobey Hospital also provides breastfeeding support after discharge through a bi-monthly support group and outpatient visits with certified lactation counselors.

"The outstanding work done by our hospital's nurses combined with the strong support of our administration that always puts patients first, enables us to provide exceptional care for babies that are born at Tobey Hospital," said Steven Mendes, MD, a pediatrician at Tobey and President of Southcoast Hospitals Group Medical Staff. "It was a huge undertaking to meet the requirements for this prestigious designation, but has enabled us to provide better care for the families in our community."

Learn more about the Baby-Friendly Initiative.