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Empowering parents to breastfeed every step of the way
About Us
The BFREE Team, based in Cohen Children's Medical Center (CCMC), was one of 9 teams awarded a grant by the New York State Department of Health to lead breastfeeding/chestfeeding and lactation support initiatives throughout Nassau and Suffolk County. Our team has experience promoting breastfeeding through Long Island from our work with our prior 6-year grant, Creating Breastfeeding Friendly Communities, from 2017 to 2023. We also have prior experience promoting breastfeeding/chestfeeding in clinical practices through our New York State Department of Health grant from 2011-2016 addressing pediatric obesity prevention.
Our Mission
​To improve lactation education and support through pregnancy, the period following childbirth, and early childhood in our priority communities on Long Island in order to help families meet their breastfeeding/chestfeeding goals and reduce racial, ethnic, and community differences in breastfeeding/chestfeeding rates.
Our Vision
​For a majority of parents in the communities we work with to continue breastfeeding/chestfeeding with family/community support for a minimum of 6 months, with a notable percentage doing so exclusively.
Our Priority Communities
Babylon
Glen Cove
Southampton
Islip
Hempstead
Shinnecock Reservation
Our Goals​
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Promote evidence-based lactation education/management
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Support parents in meeting their lactation goals
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Establish policy and community support for breastfeeding/chestfeeding
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Increase breastfeeding/chestfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration within the selected communities
Our Objectives
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Increase the number of Breastfeeding, Chestfeeding, and Lactation Friendly health care practices
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Increase the number of Lactation Friendly worksites
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Develop new and expand our existing lactation support groups
- Build and expand our collaborative cross-sectional coalition in support of breastfeeding/chestfeeding
- Conduct communication and sustainability activities
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Implement breastfeeding/chestfeeding and lactation support in community and public spaces
