Please note: Inclusion of an item in this e-newsletter does NOT imply endorsement or support of such item by the United States Breastfeeding Committee, unless specifically noted.
USBC Updates
Mother's Day Campaign
Many thanks to all who participated in our Mother's Day 2014 campaign: the Supporting Working Moms Act Thunderclap reached more than 60,000 people, the graphics were shared more than 300 times on Facebook, nearly 12,000 messages have been sent to legislators (since action alert launched last year), and an incredible seven blog posts were published to raise awareness and answer questions on the "Break Time for Nursing Mothers" law! Thank you to all who amplified our impact by joining the Thunderclap and sharing campaign materials. YOU make it all happen!
Mother's Day 2014 Guest Blog Posts:
- Kellymom.com: "Your Rights As a Breastfeeding Employee"
- Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM blog): "Help Your Clients Understand Their Rights in the Workplace"
- Giving Birth With Confidence (Lamaze blog): "Understanding Your Breastfeeding Rights in the Workplace"
- Science & Sensibility (Lamaze blog): "'Break Time for Nursing Mothers' - Its the Law!"
- Lactation Matters (ILCA blog): "Help Your U.S. Clients Understand Their Rights in the Workplace"
- Our Milky Way (HCP blog): "Help Your Clients Understand Their Rights in the Workplace"
- Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association blog: "Help Your Mothers Understand Their Rights in the Workplace"
Virtual Town Hall Meeting
USBC is working through this spring and summer to implement a strategic planning initiative that will result in a framework to guide the next phase of USBC's development and determine how USBC can best continue to serve its mission and the field in a rapidly changing environment. It's critically important to hear from individuals both within and outside the organization to ensure a diversity of perspectives are considered in the planning process. USBC donors and supporters are invited to join us for a live, virtual Town Hall Meeting next Thursday, May 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT.
Federal News
National Women's Health Week, from OWH
Mother's Day marks the start of National Women's Health Week. Join the Office on Women's Health in celebration by spreading the word with their social media toolkit, pledging to be a well woman, or attending a Meetup in your community.
Community Health Workers Town Hall, from HHS
The HHS Interagency Working Group on Community Health Workers will hold a town hall discussion on May 23 with participants at the 12th Annual Unity Conference in Baltimore, on future directions for federal policy toward community health workers. Visit the Community Health Worker Learning Network for more information and to register.
Member News
Mother's Day Blog Carnival, from MomsRising
In celebration of Mother's Day, MomsRising hosted their first-ever Mother's Day blogging extravaganza, bringing together celebrities, politicians, and many others to share the important lessons they learned from their mothers.
National Women's Health Week Graphic, from USLCA
In honor of National Women's Health Week, the U.S. Lactation Consultant Association has developed a graphic highlighting the important role of breastfeeding in women's health across the lifespan.
Partner News
Last chance to join the WHO Code Day of Action, from Public Citizen
This May 21 will mark the 33rd anniversary of the World Health Organization adoption of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. In honor of this important milestone, Public Citizen is engaging individuals and organizations across the country to send a unified message that formula marketing in health care facilities is unethical and in violation of international standards. Public Citizen, with co-sponsoring allies, will deliver a petition signed by nearly 17,000 people to the Abbott and Mead Johnson headquarters in Chicago. There are several ways to join the campaign:
- Sign the petition
- Participate in the petition delivery (in person or via social media)
- Join the Facebook event
- Download and share the event flyer
Public Health Funding Report, from TFAH/RWJF
Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have published Investing in America's Health: A State-by-state Look at Public Health Funding and Key Health Facts. The report found that public health funding has dropped by more than $1.3 billion from fiscal years 2008 to 2013, with huge variation in public health spending by state. Read the press release.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Petition, from ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union launched a petition calling on Congress to support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees.
News from the Field
Financing Prevention Report, from NASHP/ChangeLab Solutions
A new report developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy and produced by ChangeLab Solutions entitled Financing Prevention: How States are Balancing Delivery System & Public Health Roles, highlights leading states' approaches to support community-based prevention initiatives by bridging the health care delivery and public health systems. It examines various mechanisms—both previously existing and created through health care reform—that states can leverage to implement sustainable community-based prevention programs and build a culture of health.
State of the World's Mothers Report, from StC
Save the Children has released the 15th annual State of the World's Mothers report, focused on children and their mothers whose lives are at risk in times of crisis. Since 2000, the annual Mother's Index, part of the State of the World's Mothers report, has become a reliable international tool to show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships, using the latest data on health, education, economics, and female political participation.
State/Community News
Workplace Toolkit, from New York
The New York State Department of Health and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children have developed the Making It Work Toolkit, an online resource for breastfeeding mothers returning to work or school. The toolkit is designed to provide assistance to breastfeeding mothers as well as tools and information for businesses and families. This project was funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant.
Health Equity Review Planning Tool, from Washington State
The Washington State Department of Health has developed the Health Equity Review Planning Tool, offering a systematic approach to identify ways a proposed policy, intervention, or project will impact health equity.
News and Views
Yahoo! Shine: "Breastfeeding Campaign Posters Stir Online Debate"
The Root: "Mother's Day: The Resilience of Black Breastfeeding"
Blog of Rights (ACLU blog): "I should not have had to sue my employer to have a healthy pregnancy or keep breastfeeding"
WILX.com (NBC local): "Women Push for End to Anti-Breastfeeding Discrimination"
The Brain Scoop (The Field Museum YouTube Channel): "The Breast Episode Ever"
