Frederick Health Hospital Earns International Lactation Excellence Award

Frederick Health has been recognized for providing skilled, compassionate, and successful lactation care to the community by The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®). 

Frederick Health has received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition for staffing professionals who hold the prestigious International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) certification and providing a lactation program for breastfeeding families. 

Neelam Jawad, MBBS, MCPS, IBCLC, Chair of the Board of Directors of IBLCE recently shared, “IBCLCs bring skilled, compassionate care to families during some of their most vulnerable moments. They provide more than clinical support—they offer reassurance, confidence, and compassion when it matters most. We proudly recognize and deeply appreciate the CARE Award recipients for the heartfelt difference they make every day.” 

IBCLCs 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. 

“Our Women's and Children's department is honored to be one of six providers in Maryland to have received this recognition,” said Victoria Norton, Lead Lactation Consultant and Registered Nurse at Frederick Health. “We are committed to providing breastfeeding education to our staff through online learning modules, training with our Lactation Consultants, yearly skills marathons, and more.” 

This recognition reflects Frederick Health’s investment in skilled lactation care to carry out innovative initiatives and training, strengthening the continuation of family-centered care from Frederick Health Hospital to our community. 

The IBCLC certification program is accredited by the NCCA, the accreditation arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. NCCA accreditation represents a mark of quality and excellence for professional certification programs. 

For more information about the IBCLC Care Award program, contact IBLCE at award@iblce.org.