Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - FY25 Sign-On Letter Opportunity, Black Maternal Health Week Toolkit, & more

The USBC e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast, is published in a weekly news brief format, called the Weekly Wire (WW). Past issues are archived below.

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - FY25 Sign-On Letter Opportunity, Black Maternal Health Week Toolkit, & more

4/5/2024

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Organizational Sign-On Letter on FY25 Funding for Breastfeeding
- Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Requests
- Washington Post Article on Air Travel and Breastfeeding Quotes USBC Staff Member
- USBC Supports...
National News
- MCHB Black Maternal Health Week 2024 Social Media Toolkit
- WIC Webpage on Breast Pumps Resources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans Self-Study Modules
- 2024 County Health Rankings National Findings Report
Action Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

Organizational Sign-On Letter on FY25 Funding for Breastfeeding

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is mobilizing the field to call on policymakers to direct $20M to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, an increase of $10.25M from FY2024. To demonstrate widespread support for this funding, organizations are invited tosign on to a joint letter urging Congress to prioritize funding for breastfeeding and human milk feeding in the federal budget. To be included in the initial delivery to appropriations committee leaders, organizations must sign on by Tuesday, April 9. After this deadline, additional signers will be added to the letter on a rolling basis and included in future deliveries. Download the letter to read the full letter.

Fiscal Year 2025 Appropriations Requests

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee submitted requests to increase funding for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding line item in the Fiscal Year 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill to the following offices:

Senate:

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ)

House:

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03)
Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05)
Representative Young Kim (R-CA-40)
Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA-12)
Representative John Moolenaar (R-MI-02)
Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA-04)
Representative John Rutherford (R-FL-05)
Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14)
Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25)

Washington Post Article on Air Travel and Breastfeeding Quotes USBC Staff Member

The Washington Post published an article, "The confusing, stressful ordeal of flying with a breast pump." The article discusses some of the challenges breastfeeding travelers face when navigating airports, the federal laws and airline policies related to pumping and traveling with breast milk, and potential approaches to addressing the remaining policy gaps. The article includes a quote from USBC National Policy Director, Cheryl Lebedevitch.

USBC Supports...

National WIC Association: "FY25 Appropriations Sign-on: Friends of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)"

National News

MCHB Black Maternal Health Week 2024 Social Media Toolkit

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau released the "Black Maternal Health Week 2024 Social Media Toolkit." The toolkit includes social media campaign tips, graphic cards with written messaging content, website banners, and other resources designed to help you elevate your work, partnerships, and accomplishments during the upcoming Black Maternal Health Week campaign, taking place from April 11-17.

WIC Webpage on Breast Pumps Resources

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service released the "Breast Pumps" webpage. The webpage is part of the WIC Works Resource System, an education and training center for the staff of the WIC program, and includes information on choosing, using, and cleaning breast pumps.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans Self-Study Modules

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) released the "The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 Continuing Professional Education Self-Study Modules." These self-study modules allow individuals to obtain continuing professional education (CPE) credits for reading the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. Credits are provided by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR), the credentialing body for Registered Dietitians and Dietetic Technicians.

2024 County Health Rankings National Findings Report

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) released the "2024 National Findings Report: Creating Thriving Communities Through Civic Participation." CHR&R's County Health Rankings model is designed around the reality that a wide range of factors influence our quality and length of life. These factors include opportunities for education, income, and wealth generation, safe, secure, and affordable housing, and the right to shape policies and practices that impact our everyday lives. This year's report focuses on the link between civic infrastructure and participation and healthy, thriving communities, and shows that there are disparities in access to civic infrastructure across the nation. The report includes measures on obesity, infant mortality, food insecurity, and childcare costs.