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Colorado Breastfeeding
Task Force
The Colorado
Breastfeeding Task Force (CBTF), founded in 1990, is a volunteer
organization whose mission is to ensure optimal health and development of
mother infant bonding by increasing Colorado breastfeeding rates,
particularly among underserved populations. Its members include
physicians, public health and clinical nurses, public health
nutritionists, dietitians, lactation consultants, lay counselors, and
members of the business community and health care industry.
CBTF goals and
objectives are consistent with the US Surgeon General's Breastfeeding
Health Objectives. By the year 2010, in Colorado:
- 87 percent of
mothers will initiate breastfeeding;
- 50 percent of
mothers will continue breastfeeding for 6 months or more
- 25 percent of
infants who started life breastfeeding will continue for at least 12
months, and
- Promote breast milk as the exclusive source of nutrition for infants
during the first 4-6 months of life.
Over the past ten
years, the Colorado Coalition has:
- collaborated with La
Leche League to coordinate a walk to the State Capitol,
- developed an
educational brochure, Breastfeeding Works for Working Colorado,
and static decals, Breastfeeding Welcome Here, which have been
used extensively to educate employers on the benefits of
supporting breastfeeding mothers in workplace,
- hosted a brunch at
the Governor's mansion for medical insurers to discuss insurance
reimbursement for breastfeeding support services,
- collaborated with
the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to
provide pediatricians statewide with a breastfeeding educational
packet,
- developed a two-week
elective breastfeeding course for 4th year medical students at the
University of Colorado School of Medicine,
- published and
distributed quarterly the Colorado Breastfeeding Update newsletter, a
joint project of the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment WIC Program and the CBT, to 2000 health care
professional statewide and nationally,
- monitored and
assessed the feasibility of introducing legislation in the future
and keep the members current on national legislation
- hosted three
breastfeeding training conferences for health care professionals in
collaboration with other agencies such as the Women's Health
Section at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment,
Colorado WIC Program, The Children's Hospital and the HealthONE
Alliance Lactation Program.
As a result of these
and other efforts since 1990, breastfeeding initiation and six-month
duration rates in Colorado have increased twelve percentage points
(initiation rates increasing from 69 to 81% and six-month rates increasing
from 27 to 39 %).
Contact Information
Address:
Stacey Levin, RN,IBCLC
Health ONE Alliance
Lactation Program
4545 East 9th Avenue #440
Denver, Colorado 80220
Telephone: (303) 320-7081
E-mail: slevin@health1.org
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