Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - U.S. BMS Marketing Country Report Launch Event & 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 - U.S. BMS Marketing Country Report Launch Event & more

3/14/2024

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) and Complementary Foods (CF) Marketing: U.S. Country Report Launch Event
- Popsugar Article on Advocating For Workplace Accommodations Quotes USBC National Policy Director
- Share Your Organization's Resources, Events, & News for a Chance to be Featured in the Weekly Wire
International News
- eLearning Course on IYCFE During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
National News
- DOL Issue Brief on History of Paid Leave in the U.S.
- NICHQ Safe Infant Sleep and Breastfeeding Myths and Facts Resource
State & Community News
- California Bill on Prenatal and Postpartum Care of Incarcerated Persons Introduced
Action Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views
Journal Publications

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

USBC Updates

Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) and Complementary Foods (CF) Marketing: U.S. Country Report Launch Event

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is hosting the "Breast Milk Substitutes and Complementary Foods Marketing in the United States: Launch of the 2024 Country Report" webinar on Tuesday, April 2, from 12-1:30 p.m. ET. Developed by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), the BMS and CF Marketing indexes assesses the marketing practices of the largest baby food companies. As a compliment to this work, ATNI also conducts country studies that assess the companies' practices on the ground. This webinar will be the launch event for the United States BMS and CF Marketing country report and will feature a discussion with Kimarie Bugg, CEO and Change Leader of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, on the impact of BMS and CF marketing on families and communities, and with Jennifer Pomeranz, Associate Professor of Public Health Policy and Management at the NYU School of Global Public Health, on legally-feasible pathways to address marketing practices in the U.S.

Popsugar Article on Advocating For Workplace Accommodations Quotes USBC National Policy Director

Popsugar published the article, "How (and Why) to Advocate For Better Breastfeeding Accommodations at Work." The article discusses the protections provided to lactating workers under federal law and how workers can advocate for the lactation accommodations they need, including insights from USBC National Policy Director, Cheryl Lebedevitch.

Share Your Organization's Resources, Events, & News for a Chance to be Featured in the Weekly Wire

The USBC invites you to submit your organization's news, updates, or events for consideration to be included in the Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire newsletter or other USBC communications channels. The USBC communications team is continuously looking for breastfeeding news, action opportunities, resources, and policy updates relevant to the breastfeeding field. Please note that for inclusion in the Weekly Wire, events and resources must be free of charge and accessible to all interested individuals. USBC member organizations can submit fee-based events via the USBC Member Portal to be featured in the USBC Events Calendar.

International News

eLearning Course on IYCFE During Infectious Disease Outbreaks

The READY Initiative and the Infant Feeding in Emergencies Core Group launched the new eLearning course, "Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies during Infectious Disease Outbreaks." This free online course is designed to equip health and nutrition program managers, technical advisors, and clinical managers working in humanitarian settings with foundational knowledge on how to protect, promote, and support recommended infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in humanitarian settings during outbreak preparedness and response.

National News

DOL Issue Brief on History of Paid Leave in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Women's Bureau released the "History of Paid Leave in the United States" issue brief. The brief examines the expansion of state paid family and medical leave programs across the past 20 years and provides a breakdown of the varying program designs, funding methods, reasons for leave, lengths of leave, wage replacement rates, and job protection each state offers.

NICHQ Safe Infant Sleep and Breastfeeding Myths and Facts Resource

The National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ) released "Safe Infant Sleep and Breastfeeding Myths and Facts." The resource is designed for pediatricians, family physicians, and other health care providers to help guide their conversations with families to address myths and facts about safe infant sleep and breastfeeding and is available for download in 12 languages.

State & Community News

California Bill on Prenatal and Postpartum Care of Incarcerated Persons Introduced

California state Assembly Member Waldron introduced AB 2740. The bill would require that incarcerated pregnant individuals be referred to a social worker within seven days of arriving at a prison to discuss options for classes relevant to caring for newborns and options for placement and visiting the newborn. The bill would also require that the incarcerated mother and newborn child remain at a medical facility after delivery for recovery, postpartum medical care, and bonding time for no fewer than three days before the child is removed, and be permitted to breastfeed and pump breast milk to be stored and taken with the child upon removal from the medical facility.