Boni Katz

Every two years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invites hospitals to complete a survey that assesses maternity care and newborn feeding practices. In December 2024, Powell Valley Healthcare (PVHC) was awarded 98 out of a possible 100 points on the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey. The average score on the mPINC survey is 82 nationally and 79 in the Mountain Plains region (which includes eight of Wyoming’s neighboring states). 

This latest achievement underscores PVHC’s dedication to providing the best possible care for new families. Powell Hospital is the only hospital in Wyoming to achieve the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative status (a global designation that must be earned and validated every five years). 

OB staff first earned this designation in 2010 and will be working this year to again validate Baby-Friendly status. All nurses who care for mothers and babies at PVHC do extra education on care specific to infant feeding. PVHC also has four certified lactation counselors (CLC) and two internationally board-certified lactation counselors (IBCLC) on staff, which is a large number for a small OB unit. 

PVHC has one of the lowest rates of cesarean birth in the state and is the only hospital in the Big Horm Basin that offers the option of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).  The midwives also offer the option of water birth. PVHC’s outstanding result on the mPINC survey demonstrates their adherence to evidence-based practice when helping women learning how to care for and feed their newborn infants. 

(Boni Katz, of Powell, is chair of the Powell Hospital District.)