Baby Friendly accreditation by PAHO: JNF General Hospital unveils mural

Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 14, 2025 (JNF Hospital Communications) — To serve as a reminder of its unwavering support for mother and child, and its having been Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) certified, the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital has unveiled a ‘Baby-Friendly’ mural at the maternity ward.

“We are pleased to have this mural that is showcasing the fact that not only are we a baby friendly hospital, but we also promote breastfeeding which is one of the key components which allowed us to become a baby friendly hospital in the first place,” underscored Director of Health Institutions within the Ministry of Health, Dr Jenson Morton.

Dr Morton who was in the company of the Director of Institutional-Based Nursing Services Mrs Kerry Williams-Tuckett, the Assistant Director, Mrs Sandra Lestrade-Caines, and Nurse Manager, Mrs Naomi Brownbill, made the remarks on Wednesday August 13, when they inspected the mural which was completed on Saturday August 9. 

Dr Morton emphasised that the accreditation received from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to be baby friendly is one of a list of accreditations that they are working towards at the hospital. Also present were Senior Staff Nurse Natasha Williams, and Staff Nurse Tradesda Liburd.

“We are not waiting until the new hospital is built to get accredited in different services, even though we know that the new building will assist with the accreditation of things related to broad infrastructure,” said Dr Morton. “We are glad that maternity started and we are working on getting different services also up to international standards so that we get accredited as well.”

Drawing of the mural by Mr Darren Moses, a high school teacher and a professional artist, started in the afternoon of Friday August 8 when he was directed by Senior Staff Nurse Natasha Williams, and Operations Manager Ms Stacey Battice, and shown the wall where the mural was to appear.

Senior Staff Nurse Natasha first removed two pictures that were hanging on that wall, and Mr Simba Warner of JNF General Hospital’s Maintenance Department removed the two nails that had been drilled into the wall to support those pictures.

Even before the two nails were removed, Mr Moses started drawing sketch lines for the mural, and while he was at it, he was joined by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Mr Curtis Martin who took a pencil from Mr Moses, and started drawing sketch lines.

Along with the PS, who gave moral support to Mr Moses, were Dr Jenson Morton, Assistant Director of Institutional-Based Nursing Services Mrs Sandra Lestrade-Caines; Operations Manager Ms Stacey Battice, Staff Nurse Sitafa Hendrickson, Staff Nurse Jurene Johnson, and Quality Assurance Officer, Nurse Tamara Liddie.

Highlighting the road taken for JNF General Hospital to be Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) certified, Nurse Manager Mrs Naomi Brownbill, who is the BFHI Coordinator for St. Kitts, underscored that they had done preparations by implementing the ten steps for successful breastfeeding provided by PAHO.

“We were assessed by PAHO on the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and we passed, which means that we completed all ten – we met the ten steps, and so we were certified as Baby Friendly in October 2022,” emphasised Mrs Brownbill. “Even before we were certified baby friendly, we were already doing baby friendly activities. So, during our antenatal bookings and so forth all patients are made aware, these are our practices.”

It took Mr Darren Moses, a visual arts teacher at the Charles E. Mills Secondary School in Sandy Point, two days to complete the mural. Asked if was satisfied that the hospital was baby friendly, or if he was just doing a job as the hospital would have requested him, he said that he was more than sure that the hospital was baby-friendly.

“Yes, this is a baby friendly hospital,” said Mr Moses. “As a parent, I know you had to put on your gloves, you had to put on the overall over your body so that you don’t bring any contamination to the baby, and as a father you are allowed to go to be with the mother – see the child and all stuff, so they are baby friendly. Their insistence on breastfeeding is heart-warming. I have two children, all born here, so I can testify to that.”

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