Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - Black Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting, Special Section on Lactation Support and Supplies, & more

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - Black Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting, Special Section on Lactation Support and Supplies, & more

2/16/2024

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Federal Budget Update and Action Opportunity
- USBC Black Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting
- Technical Assistance Sessions on USBC Data Survey Tool
- Purchase a Limited Edition Love Mug This Month Before They're Gone!
Special Section on State Insurer Coverage of Lactation Support and Supplies Legislation
International News
- USAID Emergency Nutrition Resource Collection
National News
- AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Review on Respectful Maternity Care
- Final Phase Winners of HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge Announced
- Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit Extension and Enhancement Act Introduced
- Senate Committee Advances FAA Reauthorization
Action Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

denotes a USBC member organization news item denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

USBC Updates

Federal Budget Update and Action Opportunity

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee released an updated version of the "Federal Appropriations For Breastfeeding" webpage. The webpage traces funding levels for agencies and programs relevant to the lactation field at each step in the federal budget process. Both the House and Senate bills include $9.75M for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item, level funding from the previous fiscal year. Funding for the agencies and programs in this bill will expire on Friday, March 8. Take action to make sure policymakers understand how important this program is for babies and families:

Individuals are encourage to contact their legislators with the USBC easy action tool. Even if you've already taken action with us, please take a moment to reach out to your legislators one more time.
National, state, local, tribal, and territorial organizations and businesses are invited to sign the joint letter calling on Congress to invest in the Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program.

USBC Black Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting

In celebration of Black History Month, USBC Board Chair Tiana Pyles and Interim Executive Director Tina Sherman are hosting the inaugural USBC Black Breastfeeding Caucus Meeting on Thursday, February 22, from 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET. Identity Caucuses are safe spaces for those within a broad and diverse community to establish and nurture connections with people who have a shared identity. We all have a role to play in eliminating disparities in access to lactation-supportive policies, systems, and environments, but our individual identities impact how we experience inequities and the work we must do to address them. This initial Black Breastfeeding Caucus meeting will provide an opportunity to connect, celebrate, and consider together how this group can be scheduled and formatted to best meet the needs of Black individuals in the USBC network. If you are interested in participating, please email [email protected].

Technical Assistance Sessions on USBC Data Survey Tool

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee launched a new data project tool, Infant Feeding in the U.S. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USBC is using the "Rebel.Science" platform to host this simple survey tool and support maternal and child health stakeholders in collecting timely and accurate data on infant feeding at the organizational, state, and national levels. Organizations are able to brand the survey with their own logo and images and distribute the 5-question multiple choice survey to their clients who have given birth within the past 6 months. As more organizations join in, survey hosts will be able to compare their results with other participating organizations. In collaboration with the designers at Rebel.Science, the USBC is hosting technical assistance (TA) sessions to help organizations launch their survey. Join us for one of the sessions to get your data project off to a great start and answer any questions. Register below:

Purchase a Limited Edition Love Mug This Month Before They're Gone!

The limited-edition "Love in Every Drop" mug is only available through Thursday, February 29! Every purchase helps advance our vision for thriving families and communities. Whether you're sending a gift of gratitude to a loved one, treating yourself, or spreading some joy to others, the "Love in Every Drop" mug reminds us that our collective passion for the work that we do makes a difference each and every day. While you are there, shop the full line of official USBC merchandise, including colorful apparel with the popular "Support is our Love Language" design in the USBC Bonfire store.

Special Section on State Insurer Coverage of Lactation Support and Supplies Legislation

For many families, timely, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate care includes access to lactation support and supplies. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires health plans to cover certain Essential Health Benefits without cost-sharing, including breastfeeding support and supplies. However, these requirements do not apply to all insurance policies and, too often, new parents are left without the basic lactation support and supplies they need to start and maintain human milk feeding. Highlights from the field on this policy area include:

Illinois: Illinois State Representative Gabel introduced House Bill 5142. The bill would require insurers and the medical assistance program to cover all services for pregnancy, postpartum, and newborn care, including home visits by lactation consultants and the purchase of breast pumps and breastfeeding supplies.
Kentucky:
- Kentucky State Representative Poore Moser introduced An act relating to maternal and child health (House Bill 10). The bill would require the Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program to provide information related to lactation consultation, breastfeeding, and safe sleep for babies; require the Department for Medicaid Services to provide coverage for lactation consultation and breastfeeding equipment; and a range of other provisions related to maternal and child health.
- Kentucky State Representative Tate introduced An act relating to supports for pregnant women and children and making an appropriation therefor (House Bill 380). The bill includes a range of provisions related to pregnant women and children, including requiring Medicaid to cover lactation support services and breastfeeding supplies.
- Kentucky State Representative Stevenson introduced An act relating to coverage for the care of children (House Bill 415). The bill would require health benefit plans to provide coverage for certain formulas as well as breastfeeding support and equipment. The bill would require Medicaid, the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program, self-insured employer group health plans provided by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution, and the state employee health plan to comply with the coverage requirements for formulas and breastfeeding support and equipment.
Nebraska: Nebraska State Senator Day introduced LB1106. The bill would require the Nebraska medical assistance program to provide coverage for a minimum of ten lactation consultation visits.
Rhode Island: Rhode Island State Representatives Kennedy introduced the Uniform Telehealth Act. The bill would allow out-of-state practitioners, including lactation consultants, to provide telehealth services to patients located in Rhode Island if the practitioner is approved by the registering board, and the services are consistent with the practitioner's scope of practice and applicable state professional practice standards.

International News

USAID Emergency Nutrition Resource Collection

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) hosts the Emergency Nutrition Resource Collection on the USAID Advancing Nutrition website. This resource collection features a series of emergency nutrition resources, including related to infant and young child nutrition, and aims to help program managers design and implement more holistic and integrated emergency nutrition programming.

National News

AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Review on Respectful Maternity Care

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) released a Comparative Effectiveness Review: "Respectful Maternity Care Dissemination and Implementation of Perinatal Safety Culture To Improve Equitable Maternal Healthcare Delivery and Outcomes." Recent research points to disrespectful care during childbirth as a contributor to the maternal morbidity and mortality crisis in the United States, which has the greatest impact on Black women. This systemic review examines respectful maternity care (RMC) measures, their effectiveness for improving maternal and infant health outcomes, and strategies for implementation. Breastfeeding support is included under the respectful maternity care theme "safety and support."

Final Phase Winners of HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge Announced

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office on Women’s Health (OWH), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the second and final phase winners of the $1.8 million HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge. This national competition was developed to improve equity in postpartum care for Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Two of the winning programs include a focus on breastfeeding.

Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit Extension and Enhancement Act Introduced

Senator Deb Fischer introduced the Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit Extension and Enhancement Act (S.3680). The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance the paid family and medical leave credit. The tax credit was initially enacted as a two-year pilot program and has been extended twice on a temporary basis. The bill would make this tax credit permanent. Highlights from the field include:

Bipartisan Policy Center: "What’s in the Bill: Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit Extension and Enhancement Act"

Senate Committee Advances FAA Reauthorization

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2023 (S. 1939/H.R. 3935). The bill would authorize appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration for fiscal years 2024 through 2028, strengthen consumer protections for the flying public, advance research in aviation innovation, and modernize the national airspace system. The bill includes a provision that would require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue guidance to air carriers relating to the expression of breast milk by crewmembers on an aircraft during non-critical phases of flight, consistent with the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard the aircraft. The companion bill was passed by the House in June 2023.