Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool Launched & 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 - USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool Launched & more

12/15/2023

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- 2023 Policy Impact Report
- USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool is LIVE!
- PUMP Act One-Year Anniversary: Share Your Story!
- NOPREN State of the Science Webinar Recording on Public Policy and its Effect on Breastfeeding
- USBC Supports...
International News
- Codex Standard for Formula Follow-Up Revised
- Alive & Thrive Cost of Not Breastfeeding Advocacy Brief Series
National News
- AAP Guidance on Breastfeeding Support Policies for Medical Trainees
- ASPHN Brief on Complimentary Feeding for Native American Children
- CBPP Report on WIC Funding Shortfall Turning Away 2 Million Parents and Young Children
- House Passes PREEMIE Act
State & Community News
- Missouri Bill to Establish a State Paid Leave Program Prefiled
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

2023 Policy Impact Report

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee published the "2023 Impact Report: Breastfeeding Policy Priorities." The report shares a detailed account of USBC efforts this year to advance our five policy priorities: federal funding for breastfeeding, infant nutrition security, access to lactation support and supplies, support for breastfeeding in workplaces, and maternity care practices. We thank our network of members, partners, and supporters for working with us to remove the policy, system, and environmental barriers to breastfeeding. Together, we are doing great things! Highlights from 2023 impact report include:

Mobilized individuals and organizations to call on policymakers to invest in breastfeeding
Pushed for a stronger infrastructure for donor milk banks through the bipartisan Access to Donor Milk Act
Took action to protect infant and young child feeding in emergencies
Developed guidance for insurers on coverage of lactation support and supplies
Called on policymakers to establish a national paid family and medical leave program
Worked to close gaps in lactation protections for employees and students
Fought for policy changes to turn the tide on the maternal mortality crisis through improved maternity care practices

USBC Infant Feeding Survey Tool is LIVE!

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee is thrilled to announce the launch of a new data collection tool developed in partnership with Rebel.Science. On our Infant Feeding in the U.S. Data Survey Project webpage, you will find details about the tool and a comprehensive FAQ section. When your organization is ready to adapt this tool, you'll be able to create your own branded survey with your organization's logo, descriptions, and imagery. You'll find the information you need, including links to get started, a helpful explainer video, and detailed information about the capacity and scope of this project, on the webpage. We are excited to see what you will do and how it will help your organization, your clients, and your community!

PUMP Act One-Year Anniversary: Share Your Story!

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act. This important legislation expanded federal protection of the right to break time and a private space to pump during the workday to nearly 9 million more workers, including teachers, registered nurses, farmworkers, and many others. The new law also makes it possible for an employee to file a lawsuit against an employer that violates the law. Help us celebrate this life-changing achievement by sharing how the PUMP Act is making a difference for you, your clients, or your community!

NOPREN State of the Science Webinar Recording on Public Policy and its Effect on Breastfeeding

The Nutrition & Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN) released a recording of the State of the Science webinar, "Public Policy and its Effect on Breastfeeding." The webinar features Cheryl Lebedevitch, USBC National Policy Director, and Dr. Heather Hamner, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Maternal, Infant, and Toddler Nutrition Team Lead. The webinar outlines CDC surveillance and research efforts, describes the current state of infant feeding in the United States and what it means for public health, provides an overview of the federal policies and investments impacting breastfeeding, and describes how recent events have shaped the infant feeding experience.

USBC Supports...

PUMP Act Coalition: Joint letter to the House Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on the negative impact of legislative proposals on PUMP Act provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act

International News

Revised Codex Standard for Follow-Up Formula

The Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted revisions to the Codex Standard for Follow-up Formula. The revision includes new labeling provisions for the Standard, taking into account the recommendations of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and the WHO Guidance on Ending the Inappropriate Promotion of Foods for Infants and Young Children.

Alive & Thrive Cost of Not Breastfeeding Advocacy Brief Series

Alive & Thrive released an updated version of the "Cost of Not Breastfeeding Advocacy Brief Series." The briefs outline key findings from the Cost of Not Breastfeeding Tool, an evidence-based tool that estimates the health and economic costs of not protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding. The 33 new briefs are a resource for breastfeeding advocates that highlight the estimated national costs of not supporting breastfeeding in selected countries.

National News

AAP Resources on Breastfeeding Support Policies for Medical Trainees

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released the "Breastfeeding & Lactation Support Policies for Medical Trainees" webpage, featuring resources for institutions creating or revising their breastfeeding and lactation policies that support their medical trainees. The webpage includes draft surveys to measure knowledge of an existing breastfeeding policy, guidelines for what should be in a policy, sample presentations, and policy dissemination ideas. The step-by-step guide was created by a group of institutions that participated in a learning collaborative funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ASPHN Brief on Complimentary Feeding for Native American Children

The Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN) released the "Complimentary Feeding: Children Born to Native American Families" brief. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) included dietary recommendations for infants and toddlers for the first time. ASPHN provides complementary feeding briefs to assist nutrition professionals in supporting families' cultural preferences. The brief includes a variety of resources on indigenous foods and provides information on breastfeeding rates among American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

CBPP Report on Impact of WIC Funding Shortfall

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released the report, "About 2 Million Parents and Young Children Could Be Turned Away From WIC by September Without Full Funding." For more than 25 years Congress has, on a bipartisan basis, fully funded the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The report highlights the importance of honoring this longstanding commitment as lawmakers work to finalize full-year funding bills for Fiscal Year 2024. If Congress continues WIC's current funding level for the rest of the fiscal year, WIC will face a roughly $1 billion shortfall in 2024. The report estimates that states would need to reduce WIC participation by about 2 million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults nationwide, forcing states to put eligible new and expecting parents and young children on waiting lists for nutrition assistance.

House Passes PREEMIE Act

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act of 2023 (S. 1573/H.R. 3226). The PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2023 would renew Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research and programs on preterm birth; reauthorize Health Resources and Services Administration activities aimed at promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing preterm birth; provide for a new study on the costs, the impact of social factors, and gaps in public health programs that lead to prematurity; and establish an entity in the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate all federal activities and programs related to preterm birth, infant mortality, and other adverse birth outcomes. Read the press release.

USBC Insight: In 2006, Congress passed the original PREEMIE Act (P.L. 109-450), the only federal law dedicated to the research, prevention, and treatment of preterm birth. The legislation authorizes the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), one of the major data sources on breastfeeding rates, and the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality. In 2018, Congress reauthorized a 5-year extension, called the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, renewing the U.S. commitment to address preterm birth through federal research, promoting known interventions, and promoting community initiatives. Authorization for PREEMIE Act programs will expire on December 31, 2023, if the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2023 is not passed.

State & Community News

Missouri Bill to Establish a State Paid Leave Program Prefiled

Missouri Senator Karla May prefiled Senate Bill 945. The bill would create the Missouri Family and Medical Leave Program, requiring up to sixteen weeks of paid leave if the employee is unable to work because of his or her own serious health condition; for the purpose of caring for a family member with a serious health condition; to bond with a child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption; or for the purpose of participating in activities directly related to the educational advancement of the employee's child. The Missouri legislature allows members to prefile bills beginning December 1, preceding the opening of the General Assembly session. Prefiled bills are introduced on the first day of the legislative session.